To Rebuild Meaning
by Xbamex
Summary: The dark field had a eery haze, which seemed like a good a place as any to get this over with. He stopped in his tracks and slowly raised his gun at the man in front of him. It's either now or never. "So this is where you planned to do it?" **Takes place during Better Angels. Rated M for explicit violence and strong language. Possible Shane/OC.**
1. Better of Angels

**This story is about what would happen if Shane didn't do the things he did. I've been a big Shane fan only because he was fun to watch. Now here's the story and enjoy :)**

**disclaimer: I don't own anything, it's all the Walking Dead's stuff.**

* * *

"Why? Why now?" Rick put up his hands slowly as Shane stood there with his gun ready to fire. Rick saw that uneasy look he had in his eyes. He knew Shane wouldn't kill him. He couldn't. He might of killed Otis, but he knew he couldn't kill his best friend. "I thought we worked this all out."

Shane wiped the blood off his nose and chuckled a little. "Yeah by killin' each other? You think after tha' fight, we would be on good terms?!" Shane raised his voice in anger. "I can't fuckin live like this! I've been tryin' ta keep this group safe! I've been tryin' ta keep Carl out of harms way! I've been tryin at keepin things in order. And.." His arms very slowly began to shake and he began to loose his grip on his gun. His eyes started turn glassy and looked down a little. "I've been tryin to understand my meaning in this group.. I've been questioning that since you came in the group in Atlanta. You destroyed my reason of being alive!" Rick saw how Shane was stumbling on his own feet. He realized how much he cared for Lori and Carl, but the former sheriff's deputy knew that his fellow officer was only tricking himself thinking he loved Rick's family.

Rick lowered his arms and placed a hand on his Colt Python .357 magnum. Shane noticed and quickly stiffened his arm back up. Rick knew how to break him at this point. He would try to convince Shane to make the tactically right and morally right decision, but ultimately, it would be up to Shane on what the outcome would be. "I did not screw up your meaning in the group, brother." He paused and gave Shane an innocent look. "Things change." Rick unbuttoned his holster and slowly began to draw his revolver. "I'm not going to do anything, just follow my lead." Shane began grinding his teeth and tightened the grip to his Glock 19. Rick drew his revolver very slowly and dropped it to the ground.

Shane cocked an eyebrow at Rick's unexpected move. He just stood there looking at him dead in the eye. Shane was having a hard time maintaining eye contact. "I'm going to give you a third chance, Shane, to maintain your humanity, as Dale once said. If you kill me right here," Rick brought out his arms, "then you will lose your humanity." Shane thought about what he said but quickly shook his head and lowered his eyebrows back down. "Best friends don't kill each other, hell brothers don't kill each other." He pondered on that comment at well. He's known Rick since they were in grade school, and for it to end like this? He wouldn't be able to live with himself. "For the sake of the group, do what's right. What is tactically right and morally right. I'm going to leave it to you now, Shane."

Rick crossed his arms and stood there to observe what choice his brother would make. Shane, without taking Rick off his sights, processed quite a bit of thinking about what would happen after this. _'If I kill Rick, then the group would collapse which would mean that Lori and Carl would take the fall the hardest. But I'm already dead, so now, what the fuck do I do?'_ He looked down at his gun and clipped the safety on. He brought down his gun and looked around the field trying to gasp for air.

"Well?" The former cop started. "What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" Rick's eyebrows raised a little but he did not crack even the slightest smile. He bent down, picked up his revolver and withdrew it back into his holster, then he stood up and turned to look in the field.

"Well.. I'm sure Daryl found Randal's body. He and Glenn are probably starting to figure out what you were planning." He looked back to Shane. Shane looked at his gun and threw it to Rick. The former deputy looked at the Glock, checked the chamber and the magazine. There were no rounds in the mag or the chamber which blew Rick's mind. He quickly glanced back to Shane who was just standing there biting his lip. "You had no rounds in here."

"I know." Shane rested his hands on his sides and turned a little to look in the woods.

Rick thought a little and played with the gun a little. He looked around thinking of why he wouldn't have any rounds in the gun. "You wanted me to kill you?"

Shane looked back to Rick, looked down and pointed his gaze back to the woods. Rick finally saw the pain Shane has been going through. "I see."

Suddenly there was rustling in the woods. Rick pulled out his revolver and cocked the hammer back. Two figures started to come into view. "Rick! Shane!" It was Glenn's voice and immediately Rick withdrew his gun. Glenn jogged up to them, but Daryl slowly came out from the woods eyeing Shane. The former cop just stood there and looked down at the cold ground. "We found Randell and he was a walker, but he had no bite marks." Daryl lowered his crossbow and approached Rick.

"Yeah, there was that. But there was also anotha thing." He looked over to Shane then back Rick with an on edge stance. He knew that something was up with Shane. Shane knew that he knew too. Daryl was a hard redneck to fool. "Shane, y'got somethin ta tell us?" He asked in a very serious and intimidating tone.

Shane just shook his head and looked in the opposite direction. "Y'all already know the situation." He pierced his lips shut and squinted his eyes.

Daryl nodded his head and smirked a little. "Yeah," he brought up his crossbow and aimed at Shane. Shane noticed but he didn't react. "Yer makin this group be broke." Shane just laughed and shook his head.

Rick pushed the crossbow out of Shane's line of sight. "Stop Daryl."

"Why? He's was goin to kill you man!"

Rick shook his head and pulled out Shane's Glock. "He had no rounds in the chamber or the mag," he looked over to Shane, "he wanted me to kill him."

"Then why not get it over with?" Daryl was losing his patience. Glenn just stood there not knowing what to say or do, but in his mind, he's been wary of Shane for quite a while.

Rick glared back at Daryl. "Because he's my fucking best friend." Daryl just glared back at the former deputy.

Shane noticed a small figure in the distance walking towards them. Looks like he had a hat on. Shane knew it was Carl which pissed him off. Suddenly they heard a stick crack in the woods. All four survivors directed their attention to the tree line.

"Shane, you wouldn't happen to still have those rounds on you?" Rick asked quietly.

Shane nodded his head and patted his pocket. Rick slowly walked to Shane and handed him the Glock 19. Daryl noticed and became uneasy of Shane considering that he could of just gunned down their leader. Shane took the mag out and started loading up the twelve rounds he had in his pocket. Noises in the woods started to escalate with addition of moans. Walkers.

"We have to go.." Rick quietly ordered. Shane finished loading up his mag and slapped it in the handgun. Then he restlessly scanned the area for Carl.

"Rick, I saw Carl out here,"

Rick's expression was full of shock and anger. "What is he doing out here?" He quietly shouted. Shane shrugged his shoulders. Daryl whistled to get their attention and he pointed out in the distance. There were hundreds of walkers roaming the field. "Holy Shi-" Suddenly they heard shots fired, repeated shots in the direction of the farm house.

They all started sprinting to the gun shots. As they ran through the field they noticed Carl running away from roughly fifteen walkers. "Carl, get to the house!" Rick yelled out at Carl. Carl heard him and started sprinting to the house but he was cut off by more walkers. He looked around for a place to go and noticed the barn. He hesitated a bit and began sprinting to the barn.

Rick saw him run to the barn and stopped everyone. "You guys get the house now! I'm going after Carl!" The three began sprinting to the house. Rick saw the swarm of walkers all over the farm. Didn't matter to him, all that mattered to him was Carl.

Rick kept running as fast as he can possibly go towards the barn. There were too many walkers to count around the barn trying to get Carl. Rick pulled out his Python and fired rounds at a couple of walkers on the way. As he got closer to the barn, he saw an open ladder leading to the second floor. He quickly began climbing up the ladder. Just before he reached the top, he looked up and saw the end of the barrel to a gun. He froze and stared up at gun.

"Dad!" The gun lowered and Rick saw his son standing there scared out of his mind. He reached out a hand and helped his father up to the second floor. As soon as Rick came up, he hugged Carl.

"You alright? Are you bit?!" Rick felt a wet red spot on Carl's shirt and nearly lost his head. He quickly lifted his shirt to see for himself.

"No! I'm fine, I'm fine!" Rick put hand under his shirt to just to be sure. He was just fine. "It was close, dad.."

Rick nodded, "I know, your fine though. That's all that matters." He turned his gaze to the lower level of the barn and saw a couple of gas containers. Then he restlessly went through his pockets and he felt a lighter. He had a good idea. "Carl, I have plan, this is what we are going to do.."

* * *

Shane, Glenn and Daryl were finally approaching the poach to the farm house. The noticed that walkers were somewhat far behind them but they knew that they would swarm the house in a matter of minutes. The rest of the group started piling out of the house, Hershel in front. "I heard shots fired what happened.." His voice trailed off as he noticed hundreds of walkers in his fields. "Oh my Lord.."

Shane stopped him, "No time to think, Rick and Carl are'n the Barn." Lori's eyes got really wide and she brought a hand up to her head not know what to do. "We gotta get out outta here right now! Carol, hurry an' get all of our stuff an' pack i' up in that blue truck," he pointed at the truck, Carol quickly nodded and rushed into the house. "T-Dog and Andrea, get'n a car an' start clearin a path outta here." T-Dog and Andrea both went to grab a gun and as much ammo as they can and rushed to an open car. "Jimmy, you think that you could clear a path out for Rick an' Carl?"

"Yeah, but I'll need the RV."

"Alright, get in the RV an' go help them out, EVERYBODY ELSE," Shane shouted at the top his lungs, "GET THE STUFF Y'ALL CAN GET AN' GET THE HELL OF THIS FARM!" Everyone went on the move. Glenn and Maggie grabbed a handgun and a shotgun and got in the green Hyundai. Daryl took a .38 special revolver and powered up his motor cycle. Shane went in the house to get help out with packing up. Hershel picked up a shotgun and loaded six shells of 12 gauge. Beth and Patricia began stocking as much food as they possibly could.

* * *

Rick poured all the gas out of three containers but he noticed that walkers were tearing down the barn doors. He looked up at his son, "you ready Carl?" Carl took out the lighter and nodded to his father. Rick ran to the doors and opened them up. Walkers began piling in five after five. "Come on you sons of bitches!" Rick instigated. The walkers just hissed louder and tried their absolute best to get to the fresh and live meat in front of them. Rick climbed up the ladder, "alright do it!" Carl lit the lighter and dropped it in the middle of the walker mosh pit. Flames immediately combusted burning all the walkers. The walkers didn't even care that they were on fire. Rick ran up to Carl and hugged him, "good job Carl, this will make a huge distraction."

Suddenly they heard the horn to the RV and lots of shots fired. Rick cane to the top window and began yelling and waving his arms in distress. The RV came up right next to the side of the barn and Rick and Carl jumped on top of it. They scanned the surroundings and saw an opening to the house. Right below him, he heard Jimmy's screams and cries of agony. "Shit! We need to get to the house!" He and Carl climbed down the ladder of the RV and quickly sprinted to the house. There they saw Hershel picking off many walkers with a Remington 870. Shane was behind the farmer with his favorite Mossberg 590 lighting off shells.

"Rick, nice distraction with the barn! Lets get outta here!" Shane yelled. He turned around and fired off more shells.

Rick nodded and suddenly noticed many walkers behind them. He drew his .357 and railed a couple of walkers down then he and Carl both headed to the red SUV. Rick went into the driver's seat and turned the ignition.

"SHANE! HERSHEL! WE ARE LEAVING!" Shane heard him and began pulling Hershel. "C'mon man we gotta go!" Hershel fired a couple more shells into the large walker swarm and began walking back.

Lori ran to the blue truck with Beth and Patricia. T-Dog was in the truck hustling them to run faster. "C'mon ladies we gotta move!" As they ran, a walker grabbed a hold of Patricia and bit her neck. Blood squirted out of her neck and she fell to the ground screaming out in agony. Beth was crying out in horror at the sight of the person that treated her like a mother being eating alive.

"Come on Beth, there's nothing we can do!" Lori pulled her to the blue truck and they both got in. T-Dog locked the doors, stepped on the gas pedal and drove off into the dark of the night away from this walker assault.

* * *

Daryl watched as the barn was burning down to the ground. At the sight of the flames blazing up, he couldn't help but smile. Normally, others wouldn't be smiling at a sight like this, but to him, the flames and the barn's collapse was symbolic. The only thing that crossed his mind was Sophia, not the fact that she was dead, but the fact that she can finally be at peace. The hunter thought of the arising flames as an ascension to the other side. He wasn't a person of faith, but he did believe that there was a paradise.

Suddenly he heard a cry of desperation. The hunter leaned up from his bike and spotted Carol scrambling away from an incoming wave of corpses. Quickly, he pumped up his huge bike and drove off towards the cries. As he got closer, Carol was about to get mauled by a larger walker. He squinted his eyes in anger and rammed the walker sending it flying ten feet forward of the bike. Daryl looked at the shell shocked woman. "C'mon, I ain't got all day!" Carol snapped back into reality and jumped on the bike behind the hunter.

* * *

Shane was in the back seat of the red truck rubbing his forehead. He knew that there had to be some casualties in that attack. He looked at Carl in the seat next him. Carl was sitting there with a very uneasy look on his face, then he leaned forward. "We have to go back for mom!"

Rick looked back at him with a serious expression. "We can't Carl, that place isn't safe anymore.."

"But it's MOM!" He yelled out.

Shane padded his chest. As much as the man hated to say this, he needed to. "Yer dad is right, m'sorry Carl.." Carl sat back and tears started forming from his eyes. Shane thought about whether or not he wanted Lori to survive. Just seeing her kills him inside. To an extent, he wished that Rick killed him to get relieved from the pain, but he knew that he didn't have it in him to kill himself. He thought about just jumping into a walker mosh pit, but that would just be painful. He just wanted the pain to go away.

"Head to the highway. That's where everyone will meet up," Rick exclaimed. Hershel took the road that headed to the highway. When they got there, they exited the truck and scanned the area for any survivors or any threats. There was nothing to see, except the sign they rigged for Sophia.

Hershel came up to Rick, "Rick, you have to get your boy out of here. This place isn't safe."

Rick raised a hand and began shaking his head. "No, we have to wait for the others." Shane looked off into the distance and rested his Mossberg behind his head.

"I'm not even sure if they made it.."

Rick shook his head. "They had to. We are a strong group."

Hershel still had the look of doubt in his eyes. "Don't be so sure, Rick.."

Rick snapped and turned to Hershel face to face, glaring at the old man. "You're a man of God! Have some faith!" The former deputy hissed.

Hershel looked down and shook his head. "I can't profess," he took in a deep breath and looked off in the morning sky, "Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something different in mind.." Rick didn't know what to say in reply to that hopeless statement. "There is no hope.." Shane just smirked and shook his head. He really wasn't a person of faith. He figured that he didn't need help from the old gizzard, although, it would be nice if he would help them by letting most of the group survive that attack. Shane still had that sense of pride, but he's slowly starting to realize that doing things his way isn't working out well for the group or him for that matter. He knew that Rick's intentions were driven by morality, but in the end, the ends justify the means, at least in his eyes. But that belief also started to fade after last night.

Suddenly, Shane heard a set of moans coming their way and ran up to the others. "Guys, there's a bunch of walkers comin' this way." The four hid behind a couple cars and they saw a group of five walkers shuffling by them. They stayed out of their line of sight and made no noise. The walkers just strolled past their red truck and off into the distance.

Hershel once again insisted, "Rick you have to get your boy to safety." Rick simply shook his head. Hershel didn't know what else to say.

A half hour passed and Shane was sitting on top of a truck surveying. He looked down at Rick with an expression of regret. Rick saw it in his face too, but they weren't going to talk about that now. Shane suddenly noticed a reflection in the distance and stood up. "Hey, they're here!"

Daryl road up on his motorcycle with Carol behind him. Behind him came the blue truck with T-Dog, Beth and Lori. After them came Glenn and Maggie. Rick looked to Hershel, "There is hope."

After an hour, the group was prepared to move along. They ditched the blue truck and claimed another SUV. Shane claimed a convertible jeep and found a pair a sunglasses. He checked the mirror and frowned. The sight of himself in the mirror made him sick. He had absolutely no clue what to do with himself. He pulled the gear into drive and followed up behind the group.

* * *

Hours past by and they lost track on how far they were from the farm. Rick noticed that the truck was running extremely low on gas. "Shit." He smacked the wheel out of frustration.

Lori glanced over at her husband with an expression that gradually became more concerned. "What's wrong?"

Rick looked over at his wife. "Been running on fumes.." He hunked the horn which made the entire convoy stop.

"What's wrong?" Called out Glenn as he exited the green Hyundai with his Mossberg 500.

Rick came out of the truck and rubbed his forehead. "I've been running on fumes." Rick looked around for a place to stay for the night. He found a stone complex over the edge of the road.

Hershel came up to Rick with a concerned reaction. "We need a place to stay. This place isn't the safest place to be."

"I know, I know. We'll stay here for the night and starting looking tomorrow."

Glenn spoke up, "Maggie and I can go on a fuel run-"

"No no, we can't split up right now," Rick hissed. "We've been through too much as it is. Last thing we need is someone stranded without a car!"

Glenn started losing his cool for the first time. "Rick, we are stranded."

Daryl picked up his crossbow and walked over to Rick with confused look. "Eh Rick, Glenn and I found Randell in the woods."

"Yeah what happened?"

Daryl looked at Glenn and shrugged. "He was a walker, but th' thing is tha' he didn't have any bites, jus' his neck was broke." Shane looked up at Rick and Rick looked back. Half Shane's reaction was on guard but the other was extremely confused on why Randell came back. Rick turned around and walked a little ahead.

"How is that possible?" Carol muttered with a concerned look. Everyone looked at each other sheepishly. Lori walked up to Rick and wrapped her arms around her. Shane couldn't bare to look and he turned around.

Rick inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was now or never. He decided it was time to say.. "We're all infected.." Everyone's eyes opened up in complete shock. Shane turned around and glared at Rick at the same time being astonished. Lori let go and walked back a couple seconds. "At the CDC, Jenner told me and it doesn't matter how we die. Whatever it is, we all carry it." Shane rubbed his head and squinted his eyes. He couldn't believe the fact that his best friend was keeping this huge truth from everyone, especially him.

Carol spoke up, "How can you keep such a big truth from us?" Carol was getting pretty pissed about it. Lori couldn't believe that he didn't say anything to the group and she put her hands on her forehead in complete astonishment.

Glenn, in an extremely pissed mood, spoke up, "Rick, when I knew about the walkers in the barn, I told the group for the better!"

"Yeah? Well I thought it would be better if everyone didn't know." Glenn closed his mouth and glared back at Rick. The former deputy just glared back. Hershel didn't even twitch at the surprising news. Likewise with Daryl.

* * *

Later that night, they took refuge in a stone complex and built a fire. There was complete silence. No talking. Shane looked to Rick who was just outside the complex standing guard and walked up to him. Rick noticed him coming to him. "What do you want, Shane?"

Shane leaned on the stone wall and looked around. He thought about talking about the incident, but decided not to. He knew now that Rick was just trying to keep everyone alive. Shane knew that his own judgement meant absolute shit to Rick. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Rick expected some sort of criticism from him and he just looked at Shane with a slight hint of surprise in his expression. "Well," he hesitated, "we just have to keep moving." Shane didn't have any rebuts and knew if he did, he wouldn't say them. Rick was waiting for that compromising comment, but it never came.

"Alright. I'll leave it to ya then." Shane walked back into the complex and sat beside the dying fire. He threw in another large piece of wood then looked over to Lori who was holding Carl in her arms. He thought about their future and figured it meant shit. The former officer convinced himself that his fantasy with Lori wasn't going to go anywhere, but it was hard for him to let that state of mind sink in.

Carol leaned up to Daryl. "Do you think we should stay here with him? After keeping that secret from us?" Daryl just looked at her with a disappointed look. He just nodded. "You are his henchman. His foot soldier. You deserve an honorable man."

His expression just became more annoyed. He looked back to the fire and threw in another small log. "Rick is honorable."

Maggie and Glenn were holding onto each other keeping one another warm and Maggie leaned in to Glenn. "I think we should take our chances."

"Don't be foolish, we have no food, no fuel, no ammo," Hershel exclaimed. He held on to Beth keeping her company. She was still crying about witnessing the death of Patricia.

Suddenly they heard a stick crack in the woods. Everyone quickly got up and started taking the safeties off their guns. "What was that?" Beth whispered. Rick came in the complex and tried to make everyone keep their voices down.

"Could be anything. Possum, a coon, or a walker," Daryl replied while putting an bolt in his crossbow.

"Stay here, the last thing we need is everyone getting lost in the dark, we don't have the vehicles," Rick muttered.

Carol got to her feet. "Do something!"

"I AM doing something! I'm keeping this group together, alive! I've been doing that all along! I didn't ask for this!" Rick gave Carol a death look. "There has to be a place we can call home, there has to be one out there! Somewhere! That place is out there, a place where we can a build a life for each other!" He noticed everyone giving him a questioning group. He knew they were questioning his leadership. "Maybe you people right. Maybe you people are better without me. Maybe I'm just lying to myself. Maybe I'm tricking myself with this little pipe dream. Well you can leave if you want. I won't stop you. There's the door! Lets see how far you get! Send me a postcard!" He raised an arm pointing to the outside. Everyone looked at each other but nobody moved. "Nobody? Fine. But I'm telling you this. This ISN'T a democracy anymore." The entire group stood there in awe, shocked at Rick's explosion of rage. Lori looked to Shane to see his reaction. His reaction was unchanged and accepting like Rick was right. Shane caught Lori's gaze and began nodding letting her know that he's right. The former police officer looked over to his best friend. Rick turned around marched out the complex.

* * *

**Hopefully I nailed the characters, if I didn't, review the story. Lots of it are quotes but I tweecked it up since Shane is still around. Anyways thanks for reading :) please review!**


	2. Days Gone By

**This chapter takes place nine months later after the attack on the farm. Things are a little different than you would expect, but it will all flatten out. Well, I hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

It's been two months since Shane was separated from the group. They got into some trouble at this motor inn in Macon with a small herd of walkers. Shane drew them away as the rest of the group fled. He knew that some time or another he would somehow be separated from the group. Didn't matter. At least he was on good terms with Rick since that event nine months ago which still didn't matter at this point. Shane has been holding off on his own for the past two months with a Glock with only twenty-five rounds left and a hatchet. He's been holding out in a small random farmhouse in the middle of nowhere using up the rest of the canned foods. Since the incident, he hasn't seen a soul.

The farmhouse is more of a shed than an actual sized house. As of now, it's roughly ten at night and cloudy. Shane's jew-fro has been growing out along with his beard. He sat on a couch looking out the window eating the last of the canned peaches. He forgot how good peaches were.

Thunder erupted in the air, lightning lit up the night sky and it started pouring rain. As the rain poured down, he thought he heard screams outside. He shook his head thinking it was just a hallucination, but the shouts weren't going away. He put down his can, walked over to the window and took a better look outside. He saw three walkers strolling towards one of the sheds eager to get whatever is in there. One of the walkers was huge and had to be a body builder. They began pounding on the door to the shed and screams from a girl starting coming from the inside.

Shane quickly got his handgun and hatchet and rushed for the door. Before he went out, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Stealthily, he cracked up the door and slipped out. The rain was covering his noise and he quickly rushed around to get behind the fermented bodies. The larger walker ripped off a piece of wood and reached in the shed. The other two were just pounding on the side. Shane put his handgun in his belt and took out his hatchet. He crouched walked towards them and got behind one of the smaller ones. He threw up his arm and split down on the walkers head, killing it. The other two walkers noticed the downed walker and turned their head and saw Shane. Shane threw his hatchet at the other smaller one penetrating the face, making it drop. The last massive walker was trying its very best to get to Shane. Shane drew out his handgun and fired a round into the walker, but the shot hit it in the neck. Shane's back hit the side of the house and he was trapped. The walker clashed into Shane and tried sinking its teeth in him. Shane forcefully pushed his hand on the walkers face but it barely did any good. Shane was beginning to get tired and the walker was getting closer and closer to his face. When Shane was about to call it quits, the walker dropped to the ground with his hatchet in its head.

Shane pushed it off and looked up and saw a brunette girl shivering from the cold of the rain. "Thanks."

"Yer... Wel.. Come.." Her voice was extremely shaky and weak. Shane wiped some water off his face and come up to her.

"C'mon in, there's food an' clothes for ya." She nodded slowly. Shane nodded back and guided her into the small house.

Shane shut the door behind him and gazed out to see if anything heard the gunshot. Thankfully, the thunder covered it. He turned around and saw her sitting on the bench next to the door looking down at the ground. He walked up to her, crouched down and looked at her face. "Y' alright?" She slowly looked up at him and nodded, still shaking severely. Shane shook his head. "Nah, don't look like it. Let me get you some dry clothes." He got up and walked to the master bedroom. He found a dresser with pictures of a young woman and looked through the drawers for some female clothing.

He found all the things he needed and started walking back to her. When he got back in the hallway, she was gone. "Hey, uh, where did ya go?" He walked around the house and then found her in the couch in the living room with a blanket wrapped around her trembling. "Hey, it's alright. I got some dry clothes for ya." He handed her the clothes and she nodded a thank you. "Bathroom is over there." Shane helped her up to her feet and guided her to the bathroom. He walked back to his chair and sat down, still soaking wet.

He wondered how much she's been through after noticing that she was experiencing PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. He use to have a friend in the Marine Corps that suffered PTSD. Lord knows how many people have it these days. Probably many more than he thought.

* * *

A half hour later, she came out of the bathroom and walked in the living room. She came to an open couch and laid down exhaling a breath. Shane looked over to her and raised both eyebrows. She still had look of shock in her eyes. The former officer lowered his eyebrows and tried not to stare. He wondered what exactly happened that got her to this state. Deciding to break the silence, he started to speak. "Are you alright?" He calmly asked. The girl didn't respond, just kept staring up at the ceiling. _'Maybe she'll respond if I ask her name..', _he thought.

"What's yer name?"

She looked over to him expressionless. "Stephanie."

"I'm Shane,"he said calmly. He paused and looked out the window. "What happened that got you here?"

She shifted her position trying to get comfortable, but she couldn't. "I.." She started, her face started to tense up. "My group was ambushed by a lot of biters.. I was the only survivor.."

He looked over to her and noticed she was covering her eyes sobbing. "It's alright, everything is going to be alright Stephanie." She shook her head in disbelief and cried even harder. Shane got up and crouched next to the couch. He took a hold of her hand and gently squeezed. She looked into his eyes with her mourning blue bloodshot eyes. Despite the mourning look, Shane's heart dropped and he completely forgot what he was going to say. For a couple seconds, both survivors were lost in each others gaze until Stephanie broke it.

She wondered if Shane was trustworthy. From what she gathered, he seemed like he had what it takes to be trustworthy. He went out of way to save her from certain death, clothed her, and kept her company when she needed it most. The one thing that really surprised her was that she was sure he would ask for sex as a payment, but he never did. The last couple men that saved her ordered her to drop her pants. With the exception of his earlier actions, she still wanted to know more. "Shane."

He shook his head to catch his focus, "Yeah?"

"What have you been through?" She immediately regretted her choice of words after saying them.

Shane rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. He didn't know where to start. He decided that talking about his affair with Lori was unnecessary. "I've been through a lot. At first, my group an' I had a camp on the outskirts of Atlanta. We were jumped by a herd of walkers. Many of us died that night.. Anyways, we went to the CDC. That place was a dead end, so we had to move on." He shifted his position. "Then we came to farm which was also overrunned by a huge herd if walkers. Since then we've been all around Georgia. But then recently, at this motor inn in Macon, we got ambushed again and I lured the walkers out so my group could escape. Since then, I've been around and I made my way here."

"Wow.. I don't even know what to say.." She looked away.

Shane half smiled and shook his head. "Nah I'm betting that they're just fine. They're a tough group. I just got no idea where they are."

Stephanie nodded and turned her head to the side of the couch. "I hope you don't mind that I sleep here tonight.."

The former officer got to his feet. "Nah, you look like ya need some shut eye. I'll see ya in the morning then."

She nodded her head in her pillow and slowed her breathing. '_Damn, she was tired_,' Shane realized. He took a blanket from the master bedroom and laid it on top of the exhausted girl. She shifted in her position and grabbed a hold of the covers. Shane looked at her to make sure that she had everything she needed, then sat back down in his chair. After a while he closed his eyes and let sleep take over him.

* * *

Rick stood in the middle of the hallway in his prison completely out of his head. He wished he could take it all back, all what he didn't do with Lori. His first reaction was to commit suicide, but he had to be there for Carl. He just stood there with a machete in his hand and clenched his fists.

Glenn suddenly came in the hallway and ran to Rick, but he quickly stopped after he saw that he was standing there facing the wall. He knew he was going crazy. "Rick, it's Glenn," Glenn announced. No response. Glenn slowly began walking towards him. "Rick." Still no response. When Glenn got close enough he rested a hand on his shoulder. "Rick, I don't kno-" suddenly Rick flung him around and trapped him between the wall and his machete. Glenn didn't move a muscle. "I'm so sorry..." Rick's expression was emotionless like he has nothing to live for anymore. Rick clenched on Glenn's shirt a little harder and then quickly flung him back into the middle of the hallway. Glenn got to his feet and looked back to Rick. He decided that he just needed time and walked back to the cell block.

Rick stood there for another half hour then regained his mobility. He rushed to the electric room where Lori was put down. He opened the door and saw a large puddle of blood on the ground. He fell to his knees and began crying. "I'm so sorry Lori.. I wish I could all take it back.." He heard a moan in the room adjacent to him. He shook his head, snared a hiss and got up to his feet. He marched to the room and saw a fat walker on the ground that looked like he ate a whole thanksgiving feast. The walker looked up at him and reached for him but he was too full to move.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" He raised his machete and sliced down on the walker's head. The walker fell limp and died instantly. Rick began growling in his breath and he raised up his machete back up. With all his might, he cut down back on the walker's head, over and over and over again. Every time with more and more rage, he sliced down on the head until there was nothing left on the top part of the body. Finally he stopped and chucked his machete down the hall. He then stood there and looked at his hands. He found a rag on a crafting table and cleaned his hands with it. He walked back to the wall and slide down to the ground.

The was a dead silence in the room and Rick just sat there staring into space for what seemed to be eternity. Suddenly he heard a ringing noise, from a... telephone. He turned his head towards the noise and spotted the phone. He shook his head in disbelief but it still rang. He slowly got to his feet and shuffled towards the phone. He reached out his hand for the phone but hesitated. The phone wouldn't stop ringing. Finally he picked up the phone slowly. "Hello..?"

* * *

**I know this is a short chapter and I'm sorry about that. Please tell me if you see any mistakes or if something doesn't seem believable. Keep reading! AND please please please review!  
**


	3. Reunion

**Well here's chapter three. I changed it up a bit and hopefully I didn't change the characters too much. That's my main fear right now is just bombing the characters' personality. Please comment if I did. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!  
**

**AN: In this story, you guys are probably thinking that I just put Stephanie, the OC, in the story in order to pair up her and Shane. This is how I think of it in my mind: Shane, in this story, saved Stephanie from those few walkers back at that house. If he wasn't there, she would of certainly died. Now we, the viewers of the show, would never find out if she ever existed. My point is, if Shane was still around in the show, we might of seen a new character. This story is mainly a "what if" story. That's why I tossed in the OC.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead Franchise. The honor is all Frank Darabont's and Robert Kirkman's. **

* * *

Shane woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He never really cared much for birds but he had to admit that it was pretty nice to be waking up to sound of them in this unforgiving and harsh world. As his flickered at the intense sunlight, he scanned the room a little and noticed that Stephanie was not on the couch. "The hell?" He got up to his feet and started walking around the house searching for any sign of her.

"Steph? Ya here?" No reply. He began to be a little worried. He rushed in ever room and saw no signs of her. However, there were 2 less cans of peaches in the pantry leaving only five left. "Little bitch..." He walked to the hallway to the front door and he noticed a note on the door. He walked up to the door and pulled the note off.

_Thanks for your help Shane. I would stay, but I have to go look for someone. I hope everything goes well for you. Also, I'm sorry that I took a couple of your cans. I want you to know that you're a good man. Be safe and be careful out there._

_- Stephanie_

The former cop pondered on the note for several seconds. He groaned to himself and dropped the note on the ground. He felt a sick pain at the center of chest rise like he suddenly ate a boulder. The cop slowly glanced up out the window next to the door and noticed many walkers shuffling to the house. The weighing down pain immediately turned into a panicking adrenaline spike. "Ho shit!" he quickly shouted to himself. Without hesitation, he sprinted around the house. He ran back to his couch, grabbed his backpack and rushed to the kitchen. He began ravaging the room for food and anything else useful. He threw the last cans of peaches in the pack and went back searching for any other things. He thrashed through the cleaning accessories under the sink and found nothing. In his rage he smacked the back of the wall. "Damn it!" He quickly moved his head back but he bashed it into the top. "Shit!" Suddenly, something heavy dropped down from under the sink.

Shane looked down and noticed the hard object was a handgun. He smirked and picked up the gun. "Hehe, what'r the odds?" He looked on the side of the gun to see what kind it was. SIG Sauer .22 stinger, _The Mosquito_. He chuckled at the disappointment. "Damn pea-shooter, eh, it's better than nothing." He pulled the mag and counted fifteen rounds. He nodded and searched his hand up around under the sink. To his surprise, two more objects dropped to the ground. They were two more mags for the SIG. "Ha alright, I guess these damn rednecks were too paranoid," he mused as he placed the mags in his pocket to his jeans and the handgun behind his belt. He quickly got the rest of the items that included a few kitchen knives, uncooked rice, and an open bottle of blue PowerAid, only half full. Seemed like life is full of surprises to him. He checked the back door for any walkers, then quietly walked out into the harsh world.

* * *

"Hershel, I know it works. It rang before and there was a woman and man talking to me. There's another place out there." Rick was convinced that the phone was still operational. Hershel knew it didn't work because there was no power to charge it. He knew Rick was losing it, but he had to give him time.

Hershel nodded and got up on his crutches. "I understand. I'm sure there is another place but we are here. You have to worry about your boy's safety as well as your newborn daughter before you consider moving to this place we have no information on." Rick looked back to the phone and nodded impatiently. Hershel nodded back and began heading back to the cell block.

After hours of working on the phone, Rick threw down his screwdriver, rested his elbows on the working bench, and dropped his hand onto his head in desperation. 'I have to know who they are!' He stressed.

Suddenly, the phone began ringing again. Before the second ring, Rick pulled the phone to his ear, "hello?!" He waited impatiently for a response.

"Rick," a familiar woman's voice replied.

His eyes widened noticing that the caller knew his name. "H-how do you know my name?" His voice very shaky.

"I've known you for a long time now. You know whose talking?" Rick couldn't help but let a tear form up. He dropped his arm down on the table and rested his head on it.

"L-Lori..." As soon as the words popped out of his mouth, he began whimpering. Tears started raining from his eyes. "I-I'm so.." He could barely get the words out. "..so sorry. I-I don't know what to say, babe.." He started sobbing over the huge regret and weight in his heart. The way he treated her for the past couple of months made him feel like complete shit.

"Rick.." He could hear her voice become a little shaky. "It's fine. You are doing your best to keep the group safe. Protect Carl and most importantly, protect our new baby. I know you can do it babe, you have my blessing." Rick nodded up and down as fast he can. He must protect his family from all harm.

"I will Lori. I promise you.." His sobs still overtaking him. He wiped tears from his eyes but they retook the space beyond his eyes.

"I know you will. I love you Rick."

"I love you too Lori.."

"Good bye Rick." The phone went dead and Rick dropped it onto the bench. He took a better look at the phone and noticed that it couldn't work. The wire was destroyed. The only the way it could work is if was spliced. Even then, there had to be power at other places. '_It was a..._' He couldn't get himself to even say the word. He shook his head furiously.

"Fuck it, real or not, I'm keeping that promise to Lori." He furiously brushed the phone off the desk and stormed out the room. He had to see his baby.

* * *

Shane came across an interstate road and checked it to see if the coast was clear. Nothing in sight, obviously. He scolded himself for always being so paranoid. He started walking across the road, but then stopped in his tracks at a noise. The noise became louder and louder, like a motor. A car was approaching his position. He quickly stormed off the road and dove behind the bushes.

Three vehicles passed by him going roughly twenty miles per hour. It seems like they were searching for something or somebody. Shane saw a middle aged man in a white car along with two other younger men. They were holding assault rifles. In the next car was a man with a prosthetic arm but Shane couldn't get a good look at his face. He looked so familiar but his face was looking in the other direction. The driver was another young guy with long black hair. The next pickup truck had a woman and two other guys. The woman turned her head and Shane's mouth gaped. It was Stephanie. 'What the fuck?' He pressed his lips and clenched his fists as hard as he could. The cars past him by without noticing his presence. Shane got up and peeked out the road to see the direction, they were heading to the house he was staying at. He grunted in anger and pushed on into the forest.

A hour past and he came up to an abandoned house that seemed to be a daycare or what's left of it. He jumped the fence and entered in the back door. The door was fortunately unlocked. He took a good look around and realized he was in a kitchen. However it was looted long ago. He strolled through the rest of the house scanning for anything useful. He came to another kitchen. He opened up a pantry and found three cans of baby formula. "Too bad Rick ain't here, he'd need this stuff for tha' baby." Several memories flew through his head about Lori.

Suddenly heard a motorcycle pull up and he hid in the closet. There was a hiss in closet and he rushed out of it. He pulled out a knife as fast he could. He looked back into the closet. He eased his stance. "Damn possum." The possum was playing dead.

Then out of the blue he heard a step in the threshold of the door. He put a hand on his gun. "Don't even think about it, pal." He knew that raspy voice. "Turn slowly," the raspy voice ordered him. Shane took his hand off his gun and slowly turned around with his hands up and his head down. "Shane?" Shane raised his head and eased down.

"Daryl? What a surprise!" He threw out a hand and Daryl shook his hand. "What are you doin here man?"

Daryl lassoed his crossbow around his shoulder. "Gettin some formula for Rick's baby. Might I ask the same for you?"

Shane looked around the kitchen. "Just gettin anythin tha' would be useful." The hiss from the possum echoed from the closet and Daryl shot a look at the thing. He smirked, drew his crossbow and fired a bolt at the vermin.

"Hello dinner." He grabbed the possum and attached it to his belt. Shane smirked and went back to the pantry. He grabbed the three cans of baby formula and handed them to Daryl.

"Here's a couple of cans."

The hunter glanced down at the cans and his eyebrows rose. "Damn, thought I wouldn't ever taste something like this again." Another person walked in. It was Maggie.

"Everything okay... Shane?" The cop nodded. "What you doing here?"

Shane smirked and looked around in the kitchen. "Just gettin things. Where you guys holding up?"

"At a prison. It's not very far, roughly a mile and a half. Go straight and when you see a blown up car, take a right and it'll take you straight up,"she replied. Shane nodded.

Daryl packed up the rest he could hold. "Well, I brought my bro's bike so yer gonna have to find your own ride.."

Shane walked to the window and scanned the outside. He spotted a 2010 black Camaro. "That'll work," he announced pointing at the car. "Think it'll work?"

Daryl shifted his pack. "Only one way to find out." He walked out the room. Shane and Maggie followed him out, jumped the fence and approached to the car.

The sporting car was unlocked. Shane took a look in and saw a decomposing skeleton. He opened the door and a foul stench flowed into his nostrils. "Whoa shit.. God.." He waved the air around his nose. It was beyond putrid.

Daryl laughed and pulled the body out. "Ah c'mon, ain't tha' bad." He got in the car and looked around for the keys. "I don't see em." He looked back to the body. "Maybe they're in there." Shane coughed a gag and searched the pockets of the skeleton. He pulled out the ignition key.

"Yeah, this son bitch had it." He threw Daryl the keys. Daryl put the keys in the ignition and turned it. The car turned on without any trouble. Daryl gazed back to Shane and smirked.

"Looks like ya got yourself a good lookin ride." He got out of the car and gave Shane his pack. "Just follow us back." Shane nodded and put his and Daryl's packs in the back seat. Maggie followed Daryl into his bike. Shane got in the driver's seat and checked the gas. Just above half full.

Daryl powered up his bike. "Hey, ya ready Shane?" She nodded and put the car into gear. Daryl circled around and got onto the road. Shane put the followed him down the road.

* * *

Rick entered the C block and saw Hershel sitting in a chair holding onto his newborn. Carl, Beth, Axel, and Carol were surrounding him with smiles. "Rick," Hershel announced, "come over here and embrace your new daughter." He brought up the baby. Rick came over and picked up his baby. He stared into her eyes and she stared right back to his.

The baby girl was squirming in her white blanket. Rick brought her up to his chest and hugged her very gently. Carl came up to him and placed a hand on the baby's head. "What should we name her dad?"

Rick shook his head. "I dunno," he replied truthfully. He looked back at his son. "What you have in mind, Carl?"

Carl looked down and rubbed his forehead. Then he looked back up at his dad. "Judith. I think it should be Judith." Rick smiled at the tone of that name. He gazed back to his son nodding. "Judith, huh? I like it."

Carl smiled and nodded along. "I think it fits her." Rick nodded and walked up to Hershel. Hershel smiled at the sight of a developing family despite the tragic loss of Lori.

"Thanks Hershel. It couldn't of ended well without you."

Hershel smirked. "End? That baby has an entire life ahead of her. I did what I could. And it Maggie who helped with the birth, you know."

"Still, thank you very much." The group leader to a long and grateful look around to the people. He point nodded to the door to the outside. "This baby needs some light. Anyone care to join?" The group smirked, nodded and walked outside behind Rick.

* * *

Shane found out that the stereo was still intact and he decided to turn on some music. The music was soothing despite the fact that the artist is some modern day band. Shane was a fan of the 90s, but it didn't matter much to him anymore. He took a look at the album cover. '_Awake: Skillet_.' It showed a head wrapped in white cloth but one opening revealing a blue eye. He never really heard of them but he thought that they were a pretty decent band. The song playing was '_Hero_'. He smirked at song title. 'D_on't we all need one these days._'

He looked up and saw Daryl signaling him that they were close. After a couple minutes, they came to the entrance of the prison. He noticed a larger black man opening the gates and they went through. As soon as they went got through, he closed it shut and locked them. As he passed by, he noticed three graves dug up. '_Oh shit, no.._' He couldn't fathom the thought of his best friend being in the ground.

A second gate opened up and he saw the group. Seems like a couple were missing. He parked the car and got out. "Hey fellas, look wha' I found." Daryl's raspy voice announced as he and Maggie dismounted the bike. Rick walked up to Beth, handed her something very delicate wrapped in a blanket and fast walked to Shane.

With open arms, "Shane, I can't believe you're alive." Shane smirked and reluctantly returned the 'man' hug. The two brothers pulled back and they smacked their right hands together.

Shane smiled. "It's good to see ya too man."

Shane looked around at the group. He saw two new faces, but he didn't realized that three bodies were missing in the picture. T-Dog, Carol and.. Lori. His gaze shot back to Beth. "I-is tha'...?" He quietly asked Rick. Rick looked to Beth then back to Shane. He nodded slowly. "Lori?" Rick looked down and shook his head. Shane gaped and staggered back a couple steps. He threw his arms up on his head and turned around facing the Camaro. "No, that can't be!" He smacked his hand down on the car. Everyone knew what he was grieving for.

Rick walked up behind him and rested a hand on Shane's shoulder. The former deputy didn't know what to say to his best friend. Shane, grinding his teeth and looking off in the distance, nodded. "I'm sorry." He kept on nodding and he tapped on his car. He turned his gaze to Beth and the baby. He couldn't bare looking at the newborn and shook his head hastily.

He turned his head out towards the outer gates and pressed his lips together. Rick walked up next to him and rested his arms on the camaro. Shane shot a gaze at Rick then back out in the open. "So.." He started, "is it a girl or boy?"

"Girl," Rick replied instantly. Shane nodded repeatedly still pressing down on his lips. Rick looked toward Shane. "Carl named her Judith."

Shane gave up a small smile. Daryl walked past them. "Lil' Ass-Kicker suits 'er jus fine if you ask me." Rick and Shane both chuckled.

"Well, come on in and make yourself at home. We have plenty of beds open, take any one you want." Rick looked over to Shane and figured he needed a little time. Rick patted his back, "Take your time Shane, you got all the time in the world." Shane nodded and Rick, along with the rest of the group, went into the cell block.

Shane climbed on top of his black camaro and stared off into the sunset. He thought about what he achieved so far and what he has done to make himself meaningful. '_What the fuck am I supposed to do? Lori is dead. Rick won't trust me anymore. And.. this baby could be mine. Judith. Why did I do this to my best friend? I fucked up Rick's life. I fucked up my life._' He dropped his head into his hands.

"Shane?" Suddenly a voice came vertically. Shane looked up and there in the guard tower was Glenn.

"Glenn. What's up?" He wiped his face with his t-shirt.

"Nothin much. You look like shit. What's the matter?" Shane looked down and shook his head with a faint smile.

"Thanks for tha' compliment, Glenn. An' nothin. I jus.. had some ol' feelings comin up."

"I see." Glenn studied his facial expression. He knew about the affair he had with Lori. He came down the guard tower and walked up to the camaro. "Ya know," Glenn carefully thought about what to say without criticizing Shane, "I can't say that I know what you are going through. But I can tell you this."

Shane turned his gaze to Glenn in a serious manor. "What?"

"It doesn't matter whose baby it is. The thing that matters now is taking care of her. I know it's easier said than done, Shane, but please put your feelings aside and help take care of that baby. She needs us now and knowing the danger that we live in every single day, she needs our undivided attention and our protection. You hear?" Glenn leaned onto the car and looked at Shane right into his eyes.

Shane scanned the field again and took a deep breath. "I heard." He looked back to Glenn and chuckled. "Ya know Glenn, you are soundin as crazy as Dale. That ol' son bitch always had a way of pressin my buttons." Glenn smirked and looked down. "But I hate to say it, tha' ol' fart was right on many of the occasions."

"What are you sayin?" Glenn asked with a curved eyebrow.

Shane tried to look for a nicer way of saying what he was going to say. "Truth be told Glenn, I never really liked Dale. In my eyes, he was weak and too merciful in a merciless world." He paused a bit and gazed back at Glenn. Glenn's expression had a sense of pity in it. "But y'know, the more I think 'bout it, his views on our humanity were right. I just never took his advice cause I thought they were weak." He looked back at Glenn right into his eyes. "I hate sayin this man, but it's good to see someone in our group is still watching out for our humanity, and I have to say thank you for that."

Glenn couldn't believe what he was hearing from Shane. Typically, Shane was a hot head and didn't care much for the subject of morality in his actions. "Your welcome Shane." He brought out his right hand. Shane obliged his offer and shook his hand. "Now get in the cell block and pick a bunk."

"Ha I will Glenn." With a simple smile, Shane climbed off the camaro and walked to the door to C block. '_That son of a bitch was right the whole time_,' he scolded himself.

* * *

**There ya have it, Shane is finally reunited with the group! Anyways thanks for reading and I'll post the next chapter ASAP. Also, please give me ideas for future events and fates. **


	4. Expect The Unexpected

**Here's chapter 4. Just to let ya know, the story isn't canon, but most likely gradually lead back to the main plot, Just with Shane around. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

* * *

"G'mornin," Shane muttered beneath his breath while rubbing his eyes. The only people awake he noticed were Carl, Daryl and Hershel.

"Shane." Hershel greeted. Shane shuffled down the steps and fell on to a seat next to Carl. Carl focused on Shane's overdeveloping fro and giggled.

Shane turned his head and caught Carl laughing. He raised a brow and smirked. "Wha's so funny, man?"

Carl shook his head in denial but failed to cover up his smirk. He knew Shane caught him so he decided it wasn't worth screwing with him. "You gotta cut that fro. It's makin you look like a bum." Shane laughed and rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah?" He turned his head back and forth running a hand through his mop hair. "Well, ya know Carl, it's hard ta fin' razors and barbers these days."

"You can just use your knife," Carl sarcastically exclaimed. Shane gazed back and shook his head with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah. It's easier with a mirror."

Carl laughed. "Bathrooms over there down the hall. Pretty sure there's some things you can use."

"A'righty then. I'll take a stroll there in a bit." He grabbed a piece of cooked squirrel and nodded a thank you to Daryl. Daryl nodded back. Shane took a snap at the meat and wandered his eyes around the cells. "So, s'everyone up?"

"Glenn and Maggie went out to get some more baby formula. Rick and Oscar is just outside patrolling the complex." Hershel pointed his gaze at the cells. "Beth and Axel are still sleepin."

"Carol?" Shane asked with a raised brow. Daryl dropped his head and closed his eyes. Hershel shrugged.

"Couldn't tell ya Shane. After the attack, she's been missing."

Daryl shot his head up and sprouted up to his feet. "M'goin t'go look for 'er." Without saying another word, Daryl rushed out the room into the inner hallway. Shane's looked over to Hershel and gave him a 'what just happened?' look. Hershel shrugged again.

"A'right, Carl. Show me where this bathroom is man." Carl happily nodded and motioned Shane to follow. Shane smirked, got up and followed right behind him. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks remembering something extremely important. Judith. "Hold up," he called to Carl. Carl stopped while leaning his body forward with an impatient expression. Shane turned around and pointed at Hershel. "Eh, Hersh, where's Judith?"

Hershel nodded towards the closest cell to him. "She's in there," he whispered. "Try not to wake her up, she needs to sleep until Maggie and Glenn get back with more formula." Shane nodded and quietly fast walked into the room. When Shane saw the baby in the bed wrapped in blankets sleeping peacefully, he fell to his knees and gaped at the sight of his 'possible' child. Carl stood leaning on the bars on the edge of the entrance.

Shane stared at the baby's small body. As he gazed over every detail in the baby's face, a tear began to fill in his eye. 'Is this my baby?' He repeatedly asked himself. He kept on thinking to himself, what would he do if he found out it was his child? What would Rick say? What would he DO? Shane bowed his head and rested his forehead on the bed in defeat. This was a lose-lose situation for him. The best thing to do is just leave it well enough alone even though he did love Lori. Didn't matter, she was dead.

He picked up his head and realized Carl was standing there next to him. Shane quickly shook his head and wiped the tear away. He took a last look at the slumbering baby and got to his feet. "Alright Carl," he whispered. "Let's go."

After walking down the hallway, Shane's guard started to go up. This place seemed a little too sketchy to him. Carl noticed Shane being a little skittish, "Shane it's fine. I cleared out this hallway when we got here."

Shane nodded completely ignoring his effort to comfort him. He let the words process in his head, 'Wait what..?' He glanced back to Carl with a shocked reaction. "YOU did?" Carl smiled back and boastfully nodded his head. Shane didn't know whether to be mad or impressed. "Carl, what did I tell you 'bout gettin yerself killed?"

"I know what you said," he groaned. "I'm not as weak as you think, Shane." Shane smirked and face palmed. Carl squinted his eyes. "Seriously Shane!"

"Kay okay man," Shane apologized with a smirk. He shoved his Glock back into his holster but kept it unbuckled just in case. He could hear distant moans, but he didn't pull out his gun because Carl wasn't very on edge.

"And... Here we are." Carl pushed open the door and walked in the bathroom. Shane walked in after him still a little on edge. To his surprise, the room didn't smell bad at all.

"Man I thought this place would be smellin like shit." Carl snorted and shook his head.

"You should of been here before we cleaned it."

Shane looked around for a cabinet or something that may have a razor. He noticed that showers were intact after all this time. "Got any hot water?" He asked still going through drawers and cabinets.

"Yeah but I think the water is heated by the sun. I don't think we have it in the winter."

"Good enough," he blatantly replied. He opened another drawer and discovered a couple of razors. They weren't good quality but at least they worked. "Founda couple." He grabbed it and took a closer look at it. "Eh, it'll do."

"What's it like shavin?" Carl suddenly asked.

"I toldja before man. Back in Atlanta. It blows, but you gotta do it." He walked to one of the sinks and looked in the mirror. He snorted and brushed his hand in his beard. "Yeah, I need it." He turned the sink faucet on, water began spewing out.

"I'd take it easy with that water. Dad says that he doesn't know how much we got."

"He's right. I'll go easy on it." He turned the valve making the water stop. He restlessly looked around for something else. "Damn, there's no shaving cream."

"Why do you need that?" Carl muttered crossing his arms.

Shane snorted. "It makes it easier t'do man. S'why it's called shaving cream." He shook his head, wetted his beard and began shaving away from neck to chin.

"You don't have to be mean about it," Carl timidly replied. Shane shifted his body towards Carl while still shaving.

"C'mon Carl, wasn't meant t'be mean," he stated. Carl glared back at him with his hands still crossed. Shane smirked and turned his gaze back to the mirror.

Carl quickly gazed around to see if anyone was near, "Shane?"

"Ya man?" He replied, his eyes glued to the mirror and continuing his shave.

Carl hesitated a little and wondered if this was a good time. 'Good time as any, right?' He thought to himself. "Why are you and dad not as good friends as before?" He asked as Shane finished his last stroke for his neck. Shane stopped in his tracks and gazed at Carl feeling caught off guard. He rested his hands on the sink, bowed his head and exhaled a long breath. He had no idea where to start.

"Thangs 'ave been rough between him an' me." He turned his gaze to Carl who was leaning on the wall. "Don't worry bout it man. I'm tryin to get thangs on bette' terms. You understan'?"

Carl nodded, "Yes."

Rick was patrolling around the gate glaring at the walkers outside the fences. "At least they aren't on this side of the fence," he murmured to himself.

Suddenly, he heard a motor coming towards them. "Finally, 'ey Oscar!"

Oscar looked down from the guard tower nodding, "I know Rick, be down in a sec." Rick acknowledged him and began opening the first gate. He grabbed the lead pipe and began popping some walkers in the face through the fence.

Oscar came rushing down the guard tower with another sharp poll. Glenn and Maggie's truck came into view and they beeped the horn. "Alright let's get this gate open." Rick and Oscar opened the gate quickly and the truck entered the gate. They then closed it back up. Rick and Oscar locked up the gate and began sprinting back to the complex.

Rick noticed that Glenn had his gun pulled out and was pointing it at something in the truck. "Rick, get over here now!" Rick pulled out his Python and cocked the hammer back.

Maggie came around the car with another girl at gunpoint. She pushed the captive to her knees in the middle of the courtyard. "What tha?" Then Glenn came around the truck with a man with a bag over his head and a prosthetic arm.

"Eh! Get this bag off m'head you fff- chinaman!" Rick couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Glenn, is that.."

"Merle," he blatantly replied. He pushed him to the ground and pulled the bag off his head.

"It's 'bout fuckin' ti'me yol took it off," Merle hissed. He took a look around and caught his gaze on Rick. His face dead then started forming a smile. "Officer Friendly eh?"

Rick smirked and crouched up in front of him, Oscar right behind in case Merle wanted to try anything. "Merle right? What're doin' here?"

"Your chink and his here little girlfriend kidnapped me and my friend!" Glenn pushed the barrel of his Glock up against his neck.

"Better be polite with a man with a gun. It's only logical," Rick reminded forming a smirk. Glenn looked down at him and smiled back.

"Fine. Now where's m'brotha?" He demanded.

"He's in the complex doin' something. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you like this," Rick sarcastically exclaimed. He got up to his feet. "Alright let's take em to one of the cells inside. I'll lock both of them up." Maggie and Glenn both nodded, brought the two captives to their feet and escorted them into the complex.

Rick locked both captives in different cells. Merle, being the loose cannon, was yelling and shouting for freedom. However, the girl just sat on the bed looking down what seems to look like she was lost in deep thought.

Shane and Carl came rushing in the cell block wondering what the yelling was all about. "Rick, what's the deal?" Shane quickly asked.

"Merle Dixon is alive," Rick replied with a low tone. Shane gaped and rushed to the cell he was in.

"Merle Dixon. It's been too long," Shane greeted with a smirk. He leaned onto the bars with hands around his belt.

"Officer Walsh eh? Thought you'd be dead by now. It's a shame you aren't," Merle jeered. Shane gazed back at Rick briefly. Rick looked down then back up at him with a defeated expression.

"Well I ain't. You better keep it down or we ain't never going to let you out again." Shane noticed his prosthetic. "So how's th' arm Merle?" He asked sarcastically forming a bigger smile.

"Screw you man. If it wasn't for your Officer Friendly, I would still have my hand and be with you fellas."

Shane snorted and shook his head. "Nah man, you'd probably wouldn't be with us. You'd be dead. You should be happy you weren't with us all this time."

"Is that a threat, officer?"

"Maybe it is. Be careful what you say around here," Shane warned while pointing at him. Merle chuckled and laid down on his bed resting his head on his real arm.

Suddenly a big crash erupted and Daryl rushed in the cell block with Carol in his arms. Shane quickly ran to him and felt her forehead. "She alright man?"

"Dehydrated," he replied while placing here in her bed. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall with a very faint concerning reaction.

"I'll take care of her." Hershel moved himself into the room. She's been missing for a few days. She was parched, starving and exhausted. Hershel started to treat her wounds and gave her a bottle of water. Daryl stood at the doorway with his arms crossed and a very concerned look. He really cared for Carol.

Rick came up behind the hunter and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Daryl, there's someone else here."

Daryl cocked an eyebrow. "What, find another prisoner?"

Rick slightly smirked and bobbed his head. "So to speak. Come with me." Rick motioned Daryl to follow. Daryl gave one last concerned look at Carol and then followed the leader of the group. They walked next to a closed cell and the hunter took a look inside.

"That the prisoner?"

Rick looked over towards the hunters gaze and shook his head. "That's one of them, but not the one I want you to see. _He_ is over here." Rick stressed the word that slightly confused the hunter.

As Daryl walked towards the cell, he heard a familiar voice. "Need something Officer Friendly?" Rick looked back to Daryl and motioned him to come over.

He came around the corner and saw his brother for the first time since the incident in Atlanta. "Merle?"

Merle smiled widely and got to his feet. "Daryl, boy it's good t'see ya in the mists of these pansy asses."

Daryl snorted and put down his crossbow. "Ain't no pansy asses here. How did you get here?"

"Tha chinaman-"

"Glenn," Daryl coldly corrected.

"Glenn whatever, yeah, he and lil' squeeze kidnapped me and brought me here."

Daryl shook his head in disbelief. "Somethin tells me ya ain't tellin me th'whole story." Merle glared back at him.

"Don't tell me ya don't believe your own big brotha!" He practically shouted at him. Daryl smirked and walked away.

"There's some things that jus don't change," he quietly said to himself.

"Hey no Daryl! Come back here man! I haven't seen you in forever!" He banged his steel stub against the wall and began pulling on the bars.

Daryl turned around and glared at Merle in the eye. "Neither have I. But I managed to survive without ya."

"But brotha, were the same kin!"

Daryl squinted his eyes and growled beneath his breath. He threw down his crossbow and charged at Merle's cell. "Since when?! You haven't cared for me at th' slightest f'yer entire life! I had to fend for m'self for my entire fuckin life!" Daryl spat with all the rage in his body. Merle just stood there, not knowing what to say back. "Quite frankly Merle, you didn't give a shit for me up to now. Yer reason now, is 'cause of yer own survival." With that, Daryl gave Merle one last deafening look and walked off back into Carol's cell.

Rick looked back to Merle with an expressionless reaction. Merle didn't even look back at Rick and he laid back down on his cot. Rick shook his head and walked off to the other cell containing the other captive. He took one long look at the girl and noticed that she conflicted about something. She sat on the cot looking down at ground. Getting her inside the cell was no problem considering that she didn't even fight back.

"So, what's your story?" He coldly asked the girl. The brunette girl slowly turned her head to meet Rick's gaze. Rick crossed his arms and raised a brow. Her blue eyes stared back into Rick's without any sense of emotion.

"Don't have one," she whispered. Rick scanned back to Merle's cell then back to the girl's cell. '_How the hell did this happen?_'

Shane walked over from Carol's cell. "Hershel says she's gonna be alright.." His tone faded as his eyes focused onto the girl. "Stephanie?" Rick quickly turned his head back to Stephanie then back to Shane.

Stephanie took a quick look at Shane then turned her head away from the cell's door. Rick didn't know what to think. "W-wait.." he demanded, waving his hands, "you two know each other?"

Shane looked back to Rick and nodded slowly with a half pissed expression. "Yeah, we're ol' pals."

* * *

**Yeah yeah I know, a filler chapter.. Sorry about that. I promise there will be more action and eventful scenes in the later chapters to come. Please Review and comment! Thanks for keeping up with the story!  
**


	5. Two Revelations

**Here's the revised chapter 5, Two Revelations. It took me a while to get my mind back on this story, 'a while' meaning 7 months! Anyways, just so you readers can get a clear picture of my OC, _"Stephanie"_, I decided that a girl like her with blue eyes and brunette hair, and can be seen acting the way Stephanie does in the story, probably would fit with the looks of the actress, Alexandra Daddario. I know shes a nearly a decade younger than Jon Bernthal, but bear with me guys. She fits the description of Stephanie. Anyways, enough with Author's Note, time to get back with the story.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from walking dead, only the character Stephanie.  
**

* * *

Rick stood next to the brunette's cell with a very confused expression. '_How does Shane know her?_' The former deputy glanced over to his friend who was standing just before the doorway to the cell. The man started repeatedly swaying his body from left to right and Rick noticed that he had a livid look in his eyes. "Steph, you've been with fff-", he paused and shot a look at his friend, "_Merle Dixon_ this whole damn time?" The cop accused the young woman. Stephanie didn't even twitch at the intensity of his voice. She didn't even turn her head to the slightest over to him. Instead, she sat on the cot, motionless.

Shane, still swaying in his stance, looked over to Rick and shook his head furiously. The former cop scratched his head and decided to ask the one handed redneck. He took one last glance at the motionless woman and then darted off towards Merle's cell. When he approached the cell, the cop grabbed onto the bars and gave the redneck the eye of a murderer. "How do you know Stephanie?" He interrogated Merle.

The redneck looked down past his feet at the enraged cop and formed a smug smile. "Maybe if ya ask nicely," he instigated. Shane gritted his teeth and smacked the palm of his right hand onto the bars.

"Don't play games with me, Merle! Just answer the Goddamn question," Shane hissed. Merle's smug smile widened more and looked back up at the top bunk.

"Well, lets jus' say... she's a new friend of The Governor," he sarcastically stated.

"Who the hell is _the Governor_?" Shane questioned, rage still flowing through his veins.

"Well unlike you fellas an' Officer Friendly over there, he's the man who saved m'life." Merle just laid there with a wide overconfident smile on his face. "Y'know, he's gonna be lookin f'me. An' when he does, he ain't gonna have any mercy on y'all, except for Daryl."

Shane turned his head slightly. "Well I hate to rain on your little parade there, but 'm pretty sure Daryl's not going to let the your Governor kill the group he's been surviving with for eight months. Don't you think so?" The redneck gave the cop a dead eye and moved to a sitting position on his cot. "You still didn't answer my question, how do you know _her_?"

Merle glared at the former cop. "Up yours, pansy ass." The cop stood there and gritted his teeth. He thought about countering the redneck's insult, but figured it wouldn't help anything. Shane decided his little talk with Merle was over and he walked away from the redneck's cell without saying a word.

The former cop went in the main room of the cell block, grabbed a foldable chair then walked back over to Stephanie's cell. She held her head in her hands and she remained motionless. Shane unfolded the chair and dropped it to the ground. The woman flinched at the loud bang of the metal meeting with the hard concrete. The cop rested his arms on the support and looked in the cell at the conflicted woman. After a couple minutes of waiting, Shane decided to break the silence. "A'right, I gotta ask ya, girl." She slightly turned her head towards him. The cop caught a glimpse of her eye and tilted his head to get a better look. "Why did you come to the house that I was at?"

She looked back down at the ground with tears forming in her eyes. Shane noticed the tears forming. His stomach heavy with tension ready to lose his temper, he wouldn't buy that from her. She was screwing with him in his eyes. "Steph. Don't mess with me. I gave you a place t' sleep an' food, and in th' mornin, you left taking a couple of my cans of peaches."

"I-I couldn't..." She suddenly replied with an extremely shaky tone.

Shane didn't understand what she meant. Obviously she's extremely conflicted about a recent event and was in much worse condition than the last time he met her. The cop's rage vanished and he calmed his voice as best as he could."Look Steph, just tell me what happened."

She shook her head slightly. "Why do you care?"

"Because.. I need to know why you just left." Stephanie shook her head again. Moments passed by and Shane shrugged his shoulders in defeat then got up from his chair. He took one last look at her and opened his mouth, but immediately decided that saying anything else would help this situation. He shifted his stance back and forth then pinched his lips together. Finally, he gave up and began walking away. Just began walking away, a faint voice echoed the air and he stopped in his tracks. He turned around and slowly walked back to her cell. "Wait what?"

Without turning her head she whispered, "My... little brother." Shane cocked an eyebrow and sucked in a deep breath. Things started to making a little more sense. "Shane..." She whispered, tears now falling down her cheek. "The '_group_' I was in was my family. W-we were ambushed by a large group of those monsters." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "There were ten of us and we tried running away.. There were too many of them so I grabbed little brother's hand and ran into the woods." She sniffled and wiped off her tears. "As we were running, h-he tripped over something and sprained his ankle." At this point she was beyond balling. "I had to pick him up and continued running. I tried my best to get him to safety but I just wasn't strong enough to hold him for that long. Then we came across an abandoned car, put him in and told him to stay quiet and don't be seen. The monsters were still after me and I thought I could draw them away, after that, I met you." She gazed over to Shane, who was extremely bewildered. "I took a few of your cans for my brother, but when I got back..." Tears resumed falling from her eyes. She grabbed a pillow and wiped her face with it. "Wh-when I got b-back, he w-was..."

Shane was in a complete loss of words. He sat back down in his chair and led out an arm into her cell. "Steph, I'm so sorry, I didn't kn-"

"I know I know, 'cause I didn't tell you!" She spat. She noticed his hand reaching out to her and she moved over to grasp at it. As so as she grasped onto it, she squeezed extremely hard and continued crying. Shane only felt the pain delivered in his hand on how hard she squeezed onto it. He slowly reached in with his other hand and patted her back.

"Okay," he acknowledged. "At least you are alive.."

"You think I care?!" She shouted, still crying severely.

Rick realized Shane trying to comfort the girl through the bars and thought it would be necessary to keep her door unlocked. He walked over and eyed Shane. Shane glanced at the lock then back up at Rick. Rick nodded and unlocked the door. The cop went into the cell and sat next to her on her cot. Without warning, she grabbed a hold of him crying. Shane, almost reluctant to move, wrapped his arms around her back and patted her back. "S'alright Steph, everything'll be okay."

Rick stood at the doorway and eyed Shane questionably. The cop shook his head implying '_now's not the time for questions_'. Rick nodded and strolled away.

* * *

Daryl paced back and forth not knowing what to do. He hated the choices his brother made when he was a child, but he couldn't stand seeing him in a cage. Finally he walked over to Merle's cell. "Merle."

Merle looked down the bed at his brother, "Ey brotha. Ya ready t'get me outta this cage?"

Daryl snorted. "Maybe, if you have promise me somethin, bro."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Don't cause problems here. If you do anythin at the slightest," he pointed at his good hand, "I'makin sure yer hands match, ya understan?"

Merle smirked and glanced at his prosthetic arm. "Ya think Officer Friendly an' his butt buddy Shane will approve of 'dis?"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Shane might not, but it's Rick's call. He told me its my call."

"Since when do you have any say around here?"

"Since I trusted Rick's judgement, now are you gonna agree with these terms, bro?" Daryl pulled out his set of keys. Merle looked at them.

"Seems like I don't have a choice, oh well."

"Is that a yes?" Daryl hissed. Merle nodded slowly. "Fine." He unlocked the door and slowly opened it up. Merle got to his feet and slowly walked out.

Rick noticed Merle walk out and he gripped his Python. He glanced at Daryl wondering if he knew what he was doing. Daryl glanced back and nodded. Merle looked over to Rick and smirked. "Officer Friendly, got a problem?"

"Not at the moment," he blatantly replied. Merle snorted and pulled a bayonet out of his belt. Rick quickly pulled out his Python and cocked back the hammer.

"Whoa whoa cowboy, I mean no harm," he replied waving his stump and good arm around. He flipped his bayonet over, grasping the blade part and walked to Rick. "I'm jus givin' ya this so things ain't so tensiony around here." Rick slowly put a hand out and grabbed the handle to the bayonet. Merle then backed up with his hands in the air. "So where is Steph?" He asked bringing down his arms. The former deputy glanced over to the cell that she was in and Merle began walking towards it with Daryl close behind him. "So how is she?"

Shane shot up his head in shock and was about to move, but then stopped when he noticed Daryl bringing his hand up signaling an '_its okay_' sign. Shane was still skeptical of Merle's actions. "What does it look like to ya?" He replied coldly.

"She tell ya what happened to 'er family?" Merle replied with a surprisingly serious tone. Shane nodded and patted her back some more. She kept on crying in his chest.

"How did you find her?" Shane interrogated.

"Well," Merle rubbed his chin, "a couple fellas an' I went out scouting for som'food and whatever. We came across a camp an' she was there holding a de- erm, deceased young boy. But, it wasn't put down yet, so our leader put him down." Shane gaped and looked down to Stephanie. "I ain't no damn story teller, but the Governor did it in a 'nicer' way."

"Ain't no nice or easy way to do it," Shane replied. She was in a shock state, the only thing he could do is be there and comfort her.

"So little bro, want to introduce yer big brotha to th' family?" Merle sarcastically asked. Daryl rolled his eyes. "C'mon, can't be that bad."

"Fine." He turned around and began walking to the other cells. They approached Carol's cell with her, Hershel, Beth and Carl. Carol was fast asleep. "Eh," he whispered, "s'Merle." He point nodded to his brother. Carl's eyes went wide in amazement and a little sense of fear. Beth gave him a very small smile and Hershel nodded a greeting. "That's Hershel and Beth. And he's-"

"Carl right?" Merle finished. "Yeah, I remember you lil' man. Ya grew up quick." He eyed Carl's Baretta 9mm and smirked. "Ya any good with that?"

Carl nodded immediately, "Of course, I'm pretty damn good with this!" He hissed.

Merle raised his arms, "Whoa lil man, I was jus askin a question, don't mean no harm t'ya." He lowered his arms down and leaned on the pavement. He noticed Hershel's stub leg and smiled. "Eh gramps, seems like we gots somethin in common," he stated and raised his prosthetic.

Hershel frowned and glanced at his stub. "Seems so."

"Y'know, I'm sure there's a limb lying around here somewhere, maybe we could patch one up to ya."

Hershel snorted and shook his head. "From a walker? Very funny."

"Nah that's not what I meant, I meant maybe one like this." He tapped his stump. "Y'know? One for a leg."

"I highly doubt you can find around here," Hershel replied chuckling a little.

Merle laughed and walked out. Daryl followed close behind him wondering what the hell he was doing. "What're ya doin Merle?" Merle began walking up the stairs onto the platform and noticed a bed with a couple of things that only Daryl would use.

"So this's where ya stay bro?" Merle asked with a disgusted look.

Daryl snorted and wrapped his crossbow around his shoulder. "Why, ya got a five star bed at yer camp?" Daryl sarcastically remarked. Merle only smiled back mischievously. Daryl caught on and his smile faded a bit, "Nah ya gotta be fuckin with me.."

"When're eva gonna believe me, huh?" Merle lightly smacked his brother on the shoulder and laughed a little more. Daryl reluctantly smirked back but eased down a little.

* * *

Shane gently laid Stephanie down on her cot and covered a blanket over her torso. Shane patted her shoulder. "You get some sleep, y'hear?" Still tears coming out, she nodded back. Shane gave a warm smile and walked out the cell.

He noticed Merle and Daryl on the second floor laughing about something. He didn't if he should begin watching out for Daryl or if Merle was becoming part of the group. Rick walked up to Shane and looked up onto the platform at the two brothers. "You think he's a threat?"

Shane scratched the back of his neck. "I dunno. As long as Daryl's next to em, things shouldn't be too bad. But," he looked back to Rick with a serious expression, "I have an iffy feeling 'bout em, man."

Rick nodded and scanned the area. "At night, we should lock him up just to be safe. Like ya said a while ago, I'm not sleeping with one eye open."

Shane chuckled and crossed his arms. "Yeah that was a while ago. And this ain't no Randall situation." Shane paused and gazed back to Merle who was standing there joking about something with Daryl. "Or is it?"

Rick gazed back up at Merle and stroked his beard. "Nah can't be. Maggie barely knew him. Daryl here knows Merle pretty well. Maybe this isn't a '_Randall_' situation."

"Alright, but I still am goin to keep a close eye on him." Rick nodded and began walking to the door to the outside. Shane followed close behind him.

They decided to walk the perimeter of the complex. Rick realized that Glenn and Maggie were in the watch tower closest to C block. "Lord knows what's happenin in there," Rick sarcastically remarked. Shane looked up at the tower and chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a good place as any these days if you know what I mean." Rick and Shane both laughed at the thought. They noticed that there was a freakishly larger number of walkers coming up to the other side of the fence. "A herd?"

Rick estimated the count of zombies and squinted his eyes. "Maybe around fifty of them out there. What should we do?" He asked his friend. Shane squinted his eyes and put a hand on his forehead. The former deputy raised a brow. "You alright man?"

Shane shook his head and smacked his head. "Nah man I'm fine, I gotta migraine."

"Go back and get some water then."

"Nah it's fine." Shane smirked and then looked out at the walking corpses. "I think we should take em out through the fence, 'can't risk th'count gettin bigger ya know?"

Rick nodded and pulled out his machete. "Alright." Shane nodded and pulled out a larger pocket knife. They both started poking at the walkers through the fence, one by one.

Suddenly, they noticed another walker holding a katana and they both walked back a couple steps looking at each other with confused looks. "I never seen one like that before," Rick stated. It was a African woman with dreadlocks. The walker strolled up to the fence and glared at Rick. Rick had no idea what it was doing. It wasn't growling or hissing. It just had a hand on the fence and it's other on its leg. The eyes were still intact. "Wait a minute.."

Suddenly, the other walkers around that one began sniffing at it like it wasn't one of them. It wasn't. The woman waved her sword around and swung at the incoming walkers slicing their heads off one by one.

Shane quickly gazed at Rick and began running towards the gate. "C'mon Rick, we gotta get her outta there!" Rick hesitated and then sprinted after the gate.

Both Oscar and Axel heard Shane yell and came running down from the tower next to the gate. "What's goin on?" Axel asked.

"Open the gate!" Rick ordered them. Without hesitating, the two ex prisoners began unlocking the gate and pulled it open. Rick and Shane came across many walkers and they jabbed at their heads dropping them.

They come up to the woman and Shane pierced a walker with his curved blade that could of very well bit her neck if he wasn't there. She was on her knees then she dropped her katana. Rick quickly picked her up and began running for the gate. Shane grabbed her sword and followed close by, picking off any other walkers with his and the woman's blade.

As soon as they crossed the gate, Oscar and Axel closed up the gate and latched it up. Rick and Shane were sprinting up to the complex. Glenn ran out on the platform of the tower with his shirt off, "What happened?"

Rick glanced up at him still running. "We found someone!" He came up to the door to C block and Shane opened it up to for him. Oscar and Axel followed up then Shane slammed the door shut.

Rick placed the injured woman down on the ground then checked her for any bites. He spotted a open wound on her left leg. "Are you bit?" Shane placed her katana on the table. She wouldn't answer. All she did was glare back up at him. Rick shook his head and stood up. He point nodded to Shane. Shane nodded and pulled out his SIG .22. He turned the safety off and pointed it at her head.

"Answer the question," he ordered coldly. She just glared back at him. Daryl walked into the room with a bolt in his crossbow. Merle walked in right behind him and noticed the woman on the ground.

"Ey, would'ja look who we got here," he said with a smile forming. Shane and Rick both looked at him with shocked expressions. The woman on the ground looked up at him with a dumbstruck expression and scurried herself back against the wall like she saw the devil himself. "Whoa whoa, Michonne. I ain't gonna hurt ya no more."

She quickly looked back to her katana and she pressed her back up against the wall. "What the hell is he doing here?!" She cried.

Rick looked back to her with a slightly shocked expression. "You two know each other?"

"Ah huh, we're ol' friends," Merle replied with an evil smirk.

* * *

**Well this is gonna get a little messy, hehe. please review and comment! Thanks for reading on!  
**


	6. Killers Within

**Well I've been revising each chapter and I realized how many horrible grammar errors there were. Unbelievable.. It's taking me quite a bit to get these chapters in order. Anyways, there are many more chapters to come and we'll see what happens. Read on!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in regard to the Walking Dead or AMC. I only own the content of the characters I created for this franchise.  
**

* * *

The group stood in awe at this sudden turn of events. Shane and Rick both exchanged looks of confusion then looked over at the one handed redneck. He leaned himself on the metal doorway that lead into the living corridors and crossed his arms.

"That son of a bitch shot me!" The injured woman cried out in bloody murder.

Shane and the rest of the survivors shot their attention to Merle. "What, ya did that?" He asked and directed his full attention to the man smirking.

Merle looked around the group with a half threatened expression. "Well," he started, "I guess there's no reason lie, huh? Fine, I did. We were in a lil' tango not long ago," he mused, waving his hands around. "She left my lil' town and I thought she would be more of a threat to us, y'know you could never be so sure these days huh? So I went out t' eliminate the threat. Obviously that didn't pan out as I expected." He turned his gaze back to the woman. "How the hell do ya do it, Michonne?" Shane made a mental note of the woman's name and glanced back at her. "Yer shot in the leg an' ya had enough strength ta stumble across dis' prison. Y'know, I must say, I'm pretty impressed." Rick waved him off.

"Merle, that's enough," he ordered the burly redneck. He walked up to the hunter. "Daryl, he's not helpin in this situation, get 'em outta here." Daryl, without any hesitation, nodded at Rick's order and grabbed Merle by the shoulder and yanked him towards the entrance of the inner cell block. Merle barked at the yank but walked along with his brother.

Rick pulled Michonne to her feet and laid her down on the table. Among doing so, he fought weak resistance from the weak woman. "This man is Hershel, he'll stitch ya up good." She only glanced at Hershel then back to Rick. She noticed that her katana was in reach and she nudged for it. Before she could get any closer, Shane snapped at the sword in his grasp and pulled it away from her. She gave him an evil eye, but Shane knew that the woman couldn't do anything to hurt him.

Rick motioned Oscar to keep watch for the time being and motioned Shane to follow him into the other room. Shane acknowledged him and followed up behind him. Rick found a safe place to talk privately, he glanced around and looked at Shane with a serious tone in his posture. "What are we gonna do about this little dilemma?"

Shane shifted his gaze around the room and placed his gun back in his belt. "Well," he stated hesitantly, "you got another cell block here?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, we cleared one out that was originally supposed to be Oscar's and Axel's. It still is open, why?"

"We should either lock Merle or this Michonne up in there." Rick nodded and glanced up at Merle who was on the second floor drinking from a cup next to Daryl.

"I say Merle. He's too destructive. And as far as Michonne, she's gonna be locked just out of this room just to be safe." Shane nodded looked up at Daryl. He wondered what the hunter would say about this plan.

"Ya think Daryl will approve of this?" The former cop asked his friend.

Rick nodded in acceptance. "Absolutely, he above all people would understand."

"Alright, sounds good then."

* * *

Several hours later, Merle was locked up in the other cell block and was given a knife in case of anything that could go wrong. Michonne was locked in another cell just outside the main cell dwellings. Her leg was healing up good thanks to Hershel's actions. She was passed out due to being extremely exhausted. Hershel and Rick were in their own cells laying in their cots ready to go to sleep. Carol was sleeping in her cell accompanied by a restless younger Dixon brother hoping that she would pull out just fine. Oscar, Axel, Maggie and Glenn were on duty in the watch towers as usual. Carl was in Beth's cell talking to her about whatever came to mind. Shane figured that now is the best time to visit Stephanie alone to see how she was holding up. For as long as she's been at the prison, Beth tended to her by giving her food and water. The teenager urged her to come out of her cell cell but she declined every time. However, she did manage to have some small talk with her. From what the cop heard, Stephanie was a polite girl and she rather would listen instead of talk.

As he approached her cell, he heard her shift a little in her bed. When he approached the doorway, he knocked on the bars softly. She glanced over to him and shifted her position in her bed again. "May I..?" He whispered to her. She nodded a yes and he entered the cell. He took seat at the end of her bed and looked over into her blue eyes. "How are ya feeling?" He whispered calmly to her.

She opened her mouth but then she hesitated. She shifted in her bed and was now laying on her side. "I'm better I guess.." She barely replied. Shane got up and crouched up next her bed. He patted her shoulder and started nodding. He still felt guilty about giving her a hard time.

"Look," he started while looking down at the ground," I'm sorry that I-"

"No," she quietly blurted to him, "you had every right to feel that way."

He shook his head. "Nah, I coulda done it in a better way than the way I did it." He picked up his gaze back to her conflicted blue eyes. She looked back to him like she was about to say something back, but she was suddenly lost in deep thought. Shane realized the sudden change in the atmosphere with her and he just stayed in his stance not knowing what to do. She seemed a little uneasy about something and Shane saw it in her. "What's wrong?"

She looked away and shifted in the bed. "I could of been so much help to you guys.." She looked back at him, "but instead I just laid in here and cried.."

Shane placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Nah nah nah, I understand what it's like losing your family," he earnestly stated, "losing loved ones. You needed a lil' time alone an' I get that." She nodded lowered gaze. "Hell, we all needed a little time alone. 'Mean, just look where I was for the past couple weeks, holding up in a house barely as big as that room over there," he said referring to the entrance room. She snorted lightly and cracked a little smile which made the cop chuckled. "But," he began again, "ya can come help us out in the mornin' if you want." She lifted her eyes up to his and nodded in her pillow. "Good. I mean to ask, what were ya before all this?"

She moved herself onto her back, rested it on the concrete wall and inhaled a deep breath. " Well, I was a nurse in Dalton. It was my first year of being professionally known as a nurse."

Shane raised both his eyebrows. "Really? Damn girl, you'd be quite a lot of help aroun' here. You see Hershel has a hard time doin his thang 'cause of his leg."

She smiled and nodded. "I'll see what I can do then." The former cop smiled and leaned back against the wall, laying his legs flat. He wanted to get a little more small talk in but it was hard to actually talk about things these days. He thought quickly and decided to ask her about guns.

"You know how to use a gun?"

She nodded. "My dad and I used to shoot guns at his ranch," she smirked and rolled her eyes, "I never really was one of those 'girly' kind of girls. I liked doing things outside and watched action movies and whatnot." Shane smirked and glanced back at her. "But yeah I know I can say that I can."

"What kinda guns?"

She squinted her eyes and shrugged. "I don't recall what kind, but mostly hunting rifles and occasionally shotguns."

"That's good. You hunt at all?"

She shook her head. "No, I went out with my dad a couple times but I never actually shot at something. I just went for the fun of it." Shane smiled rubbed his forehead. He realized how much he missed this small talk. It reminded him of how it was before. Stephanie cleared her throat which got the cop's attention. "So what were you?"

Shane smiled. "I was a police officer of King County. Rick and I were sidekicks in those good ol' days. Hell, he and I were friends since grade school. We're practically brothers at this point." He kept in mind the event at the field at the farm. He rather wouldn't get into that right now.

"Wow, that's impressive. Seeing you both here, you guys must of been the two tough guys back then."

Shane laughed and shook his head. "Well that wasn't the case for Rick. He was quiet and had quite a hard time talking to the gals."

She snorted and her smile widened a little more. "So what does that make you?"

"Well," he began, "I was on the football team." He pulled his number 22 necklace up from under his shirt. "I was a starter for defensive back. We're pretty good, but not championship material." She seemed impressed.

The former police officer got to his feet. "Well I'm sorry to say, but I gotta go check a couple thangs before I get some shut eye."

She leaned up after him. "Mind if I come?" Shane thought about it for a second then nodded.

"Yeah, y'should get some sleep. Besides, I have ta have a little '_talk_' with our friend Merle." On that note, she nodded and fell back to her bed. Shane smiled, wished her a good night, and walked off to the second cell block.

* * *

Merle couldn't believe that they actually locked him up in a cage like an animal. The thing that made him pissed off most is that his brother was the one that locked him in there. "For th' love of a pissing God, I ain't gonna do shit!" He yelled to himself. He was pacing around the cell block trying blow off steam.

Suddenly he heard a door creak open and he stopped in his tracks. "Daryl?" He called out with a hint of distress in his tone. As the figure came around the bars, his body came into view, but his face was darkened. Merle frowned and stared the figure down. "Shane.."

"Sup Merle? Thought I'd stroll by to see ya," he replied sarcastically. Merle snorted and sat down on the steps that lead to the perch.

"What'd ya want, pansy ass?" Merle asked in a monotone voice. He tapped his fingers on his prosthetic arm and never took his eyes off the cop.

"Thought I'd ask ya a couple questions. Ya mind?" Shane replied as he leaned up against the wall. Merle chuckled and looked down at his metal arm.

"Ain't like I got anythin better t'do."

"How did ya survive back in Atlanta?" Merle wiped the smirk off his face and glared at Shane.

"We'll if ya didn't know already, yer nigger T-Dog or whatever he calls himself, dropped the damn key down a hole and left me there t'rot!"

"Watch what ya say there _asshole_, T-Dog died saving the group, including your brother. It'd by wise to not insult a person who sacrificed himself for the sake of others." Merle gave out a fake laugh and his expression changed to being livid.

Suddenly he raged up to his feet and pointed his stump at Shane. "Tha' black good-for-nothin nigger left me up there to rot! Didn't even make no attempt to save my ass!" Merle shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shane chuckled a little and shook his head. "T-Dog wouldn't help ya? He's the one that made sure no walkers would get past that door, am I right?" Merle did not respond, only exhaled in rage. Shane shrugged his shoulders and raised his arms. "Merle, there ain't no '_niggers_' or '_chinks_' or whatever. There's only us an' the dead," Shane's voice became serious and he slipped his thumbs between his belt and jeans. "We survive by working together, not killing each other, man."

Merle laughed a little and eased a little. "'S funny, Officer Friendly told me th' same thing on top of tha' building. You fellas are all the same."

Suddenly, there was a bang on the side of the cell block. Merle jumped whirled around and pulled his knife out. Shane quickly pulled out his Glock 17 and flipped the safety off. "Merle, behind the wall, now!" He quietly shouted at him. Merle without hesitation rushed behind the wall. Shane realized that he still had Rick's set of keys and quickly thought about what he should do. '_Fuck! I'm gonna regret doing this later!_' He tapped the bars to get Merle's attention. Merle glanced over to Shane and raised an arm. Shane motioned him to come over to him.

Bangs kept on echoing through the air as if people were trying to get in the prison. Suddenly the bangs began to break open the door. Merle, hearing this, knew that it wasn't walkers trying to get in. The bangs were rhythmic and organized. The redneck finally decided to sprint to the door. Shane unlocked the door and pulled Merle through the doorway. At that same instant, the door on the other end of the cell block broke open and several men came through it.

"This'll do guys," a higher masculine voice said.

"Yeah, it'll do as soon as we take care of the others holdin' this place," another lower male voice replied.

"Shouldn't we take them out tonight?" A different voice asked.

"We will. Just cool it pal, don't get ahead of yerself."

Shane nudged Merle to take a look around the corner. Merle reluctantly agreed and he peeked an eye into the cell block. There were six guys in the room roaming around. One of them was very muscular and tall. "Shit.." Merle whispered beneath his breath.

"How many?" Shane silently asked. Merle turned around and help up five fingers, then changed it to one. _Six_. Shane exhaled softly and placed a hand on his head thinking on what to do. Finally, he tapped Merle, "C'mon.." They rushed away as fast as they could out the cell block out back into the courtyard. Oscar and Axel were locking up the gate and they both turned around quickly.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked with an expression of confusion due to fact that Shane and Merle were running lightly.

Shane came up to Oscar and handed him his Glock. "We got company." Axel sheepishly looked around for any intruder. "Axel," the wimpy prisoner turned his head to the cop, "go to Glenn and Maggie and tell them we got company coming from there." He pointed on the other side of the courtyard. Axel nodded quickly and rushed to the guard tower. "I'll get the others up, you two stay behind that wall and wait for them to come." Merle looked over to Oscar with a disgusted expression, then he wiped it from his face.

Shane rushed into C block to Rick's cell and he tapped Rick repeatedly. "Rick, you gotta get up now!" Rick's eyes flickered open and he scurried up quickly.

"What what?" He barely replied rubbing his eyes.

"We've got company, six guys an' they're lookin' to take over the prison." Shane pulled out his .22 _Mosquito_ and made a pissed groan, "fuck, where's the heavier guns, man?"

Rick got his feet quickly, grabbed his Colt Python .357 and its holster that carried all the rounds and wrapped it around his waist. He cleared his throat and looked up at Shane, "In the cell next to me, c'mon." Rick and Shane rushed for the heavier firearms. Rick picked up a fully automatic Stag AR-15 with only three thirty-round mags and handed it to Shane. Shane checked the safe, jammed a mag in the slot and pulled back the bolt to inject a round in the chamber. Rick then grabbed the AKMS and loaded a clip into the slot then pulled the bolt back.

Suddenly, there were shots fired outside and everyone in the prison woke up with a start. Beth screamed in fear and ran into Hershel's cell. Daryl woke up with a yell and charged out to the other side of C block. Carl ran up to the cell Rick is in with his Barreta 9mm drawn. "Dad what's going on?" He asked with a frightened expression on his face.

Rick crouched down to his level and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Carl, I need you to stay here and protect Hershel, Beth and Carol. Please I need ya here." Carl reluctantly nodded and ran down to Hershel's cell.

Rick pulled Shane out the cell and they rushed down the stairs. Four more repeated shots echoed the air. Daryl came running in holding a shotgun. "Rick, I gotta get my brotha!"

Just before Rick said anything, Shane cut him off. "He's just out there with Oscar." Rick glanced needles at Shane.

"What how?"

"I let him out jus before they came in the back door of the cell block. I wasn't gonna let him die like that." Rick was still skeptical of his decision but he let it go. The hunter began charging out the door after his brother.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled out. Daryl didn't even flinch at his roar. Rick sneered and restlessly looked around a bit. "The least we can do is go around and flank them. It sounds like they don't know about the second passage. Lets go!" Both former cops began running to the other door, but suddenly Stephanie caught up to them with a handgun in her hand.

"Wait! I'm gonna help out!" She turned the safety off her handgun and pulled back the barrel. Shane eyed the handgun and wondered where the hell it came from. From the looks of it, it was a Walther P38.

Rick glanced over to Shane and thought quickly. "Fine, c'mon then!" With that, they sprinted out to the back doorway.

* * *

Merle and Oscar were stranded behind the red truck with less than a clip in their guns. Glenn had the scoped .308 Remington 700 in the tower but was unable to get a clear shot at them. Maggie helplessly stood next to him with just a 9mm in her hand. "Shit, where the fuck are they?" Merle hissed out. Gunshots kept on echoing and making contact with the truck.

"Merle!" Daryl screamed out coming from the door. He pumped his shotgun and kept himself behind cover.

Merle twirled around and rushed to the end side of the truck. "Daryl, stay back! There's three of 'em over there with them automatics!" He turned his head and noticed a way around the side of the building across C block, in order to possibly flank them. A couple more rounds fired toward them, one almost nailing the redneck in the face. "Ey man, cover me, they're gonna come from that way if don't move our asses, I'm gonna go that way and attempt to get em from behind, can you cover me?"

Oscar thought for a second and flinched at a couple impacts to the truck. "I'll try, but get yer bro to help out, this gun ain't gonna cut it, but Daryl's shotgun and Glenn's rifle would make a bigger difference." He popped six rounds into the cylinder to his .38 special revolver, swiped it up and pulled the hammer back.

Merle glanced over to Daryl and motioned him that he was going to make a run through the opening to their flank. Daryl gave him an '_are you kidding me_' reaction and shook his right arm side to side repeatedly. Merle pointed at to where the shots were coming from and made a hand signal to shoot on three. Daryl kept on shaking his head saying no, but it was to late. Merle started to make a run around to the flank as low as he possibly can. Glenn noticed the shots were now directed to Merle and he moved to better location on the guard tower. Daryl pointed his shotgun around the wall and let off a couple shells. Oscar fired a three rounds over the truck.

As Merle ran to the flank, he experienced a sudden recoil on his prosthetic arm and he lost his balance. "_Shit_!" He broke his fall on the fence and kept on running. Finally he made it to the other side and waved off Daryl, Oscar and Glenn.

Glenn looked into his scope and spotted three shooters. One of them had a full automatic AR, another had a shotgun, and the last had a handgun. The man with the shotgun was massive. Suddenly, he realized the giant was moving towards the flank around the building. "Shit.. Hey!" He signaled to Merle. Merle raised his arms and mouthed a _what_. "You got a big guy comin around!" He looked back in the scope and saw the one with the handgun follow behind him. "Shit and another one is going with him!"

"Shit!" Merle shouted. He checked his surrounds and noticed a trash can good enough for cover and ran behind it. As he waited he took his knife and attached it to his limb as best he could, even though there was dent on the top of it. Suddenly he heard ranting coming around the corner. He peeked around the edge of the trash can and spotted the giant bring up his shotgun towards the truck and Oscar. Without any hesitation, he sprouted up and pulled the trigger at the giant, but the bullet penetrated the shotgun and dented the barrel to left and the bullet ricochet at the side of the wall. The giant staggered back and threw down the disassembled shotgun. Merle pulled the trigger again, CLICK. "Shit!" The giant grunted and charged after Merle without any sense of mercy. Merle, his instincts kicking in, quickly threw down his gun and pointed his bayonet arm at the large man. "Come t' papa, big guy!"

The massive man halted in his tracks and began to circle around Merle. Merle stepped to his right and waited for his move. Suddenly, another gunshot fired and penetrated his bayonet braking off the handle bar. The giant then charged at Merle with all his force. Merle held out his steel arm in defense but the giant easily broke through and grabbed a hold of Merle's neck. Merle head butted the giant forcing him lose his grip and stagger back a couple steps. "Goddamn!" The man shouted as he rubbed blood off his nose.

The second smaller intruder stiffened up his arm and pointed the handgun back at Merle. Merle's instincts was to drop down to the ground. The shot fired and missed him. However, Merle was vulnerable now that he was on the ground at gunpoint. "I got ya now fucker!"

BANG!

The redneck thought it was all over but he realized the he didn't experience any impact. The intruder dropped down with a bullet through his head. Merle whirled his head around and spotted Oscar waving him to get up. Merle got to his feet and focused himself at the giant. The giant of a man shook his head and refocused himself onto Merle. "Ima bust ya up asshole, fucker!" After he spoke, he threw a punch at Merle, but Merle dodged it and sucker punched the man in the gut, however the impact didn't even make the man stagger. The giant swung his arm around close lining Merle down to the ground. Merle's eyes shot open and he began gasping for air then tried to get back up, but the giant jammed his knees onto Merle's biceps pinning him to the ground.

A punch to the face, and another, and another, and another. The redneck couldn't get the energy to struggle out of the pin and he laid there helplessly. His eyes rolled around in his sockets and he saw three fists floating around his head ready to end it all. "Go to hell.." He jeered. The giant sneered and threw his arm up in the air.

Suddenly, the giant was plowed into the garbage can with another large man and repeatedly threw punches at him. Merle flickered his eyes at the scene and realized it was Oscar fist fighting the man.

Oscar was slightly smaller than the giant but it didn't matter to him. He just kept on fighting for Merle's protection. Daryl attempted to move across the courtyard but he couldn't without getting a couple rounds penetrating his body. "Merle! Stay awake! I'll be there as soon as a can!"

The giant flat out punched Oscar in the face making him stagger back a couple steps. Oscar, a little disoriented, shook his face and spat blood to the ground. The giant sneered again and charged after him again. The giant threw out his arms in a tackling stance, just before the impact, Oscar jabbed his elbow down at the giants head, grabbed onto his head, and forced the giant's head onto his knee. The giant fell to the ground with his hands up. Oscar quickly pulled out a knife and walked up.

The giant waved his head around on the ground and noticed the handgun his comrade dropped. He quickly snapped at it, pointed at Oscar and fired three rounds into him. The bullets impacted in his stomach, his lower right shoulder and left side of his ribcage. Oscar, staggered back a couple steps and let out a long death roar. Just before he'd let himself fall, he threw himself at the giant with his knife in a downward motion and the knife penetrated through the giant's skull, rendering him motionless. He let go of the knife and rolled onto his back gasping and spitting blood out his mouth. Merle regained some strength and he crawled towards Oscar.

A last rifle gunshot from the guard tower echoed and automatic gunshots ceased. "All clear, go Daryl!" The hunter without any sense of hesitation began sprinting towards Merle.

As he approached him, he noticed Oscar was down on the ground spurting blood out of his mouth. Merle looked over to his brother with an extremely confused expression. Daryl knelt down next to Oscar and studied his gun wounds. "Fuck.."

Oscar, his eyes rolling around in and out, slowly turned his head towards Daryl. "Dar..l," he choked, "I.. gshs.. I d-di' wha' ay.. coul'd..ta he'p." He brought up his hand and grasped Daryl's vest with all the force he could give. "Now yo' put me down now! Y-you.. understand?" He glared into Daryl's eyes while still gasping for air. "Do it! I-I ain't...gonna turn..into one..of them. Pl-please man.. Do it..." Daryl looked down, then back up at him and nodded. Oscar let go of his vest and gave out a small faint smile. He laid his head back down and looked up in the clear night sky.

Daryl got to his feet and pulled out his .38 special. He spun the cylinder, clanked it closed and pointed down at Oscar's head. He hesitated at first then refocused back to Oscar. He pulled the hammer back, pointed it down at the suffering man, "M' sorry bro.." And squeezed the trigger.


	7. Killers Within Part II

**Sooo sorry about the extremely long wait, but here it is. chapter 7, I hope you like it. Enjoy :)**

**disclaimer: I own nothing. **

* * *

"Hey man, th' gunshots stopped," Shane exclaimed. It's been well over ten minutes since the last shot. Rick took a deep breath and wondered if Daryl took out the intruders.

"There still can be some in here," he replied. Suddenly they heard shuffling in the next hallway along with quick footsteps. Rick pulled Stephanie with him into a dark empty cell and Shane dove into the cell across from him. From the sound of it, three sets of feet walking in their direction. Rick raised a finger to his mouth and shushed. Then he pulled out his suppressed handgun and waited for them to come closer.

Three strangers came into view, a slim black man with an AR-15, a younger white man with a shotgun, and a man in his thirties with a generic rifle that Rick couldn't recognize. As they approached them, Rick pulled down the hammer to his pistol slowly. Shane caught on and pulled out his knife. Rick raised his gun and aimed for the slim black man. The intruders came in between the cells and Shane scratched the edge of his blade on the cement wall causing the intruders to stop in their tracks.

"Whose there?" The black man demanded. Rick swiftly pointed and fired a round in the back his head. The man dropped down like a stack of potatoes. Shane dove out and tackled the older white man to the ground. Stephanie rushed out and clubbed the younger man in the back of the head knocking him out. Shane thrust down his hand penetrating the man's forehead over and over ultimately ending his life.

Rick glanced at Shane with an odd reaction to Shane's ruthless attack. Shane wiped his brow, rubbed the blood off his hands on the man's flannel shirt and caught Rick's gaze. "They're gonna kill us either way," he defended. Rick nodded once and glanced down at the unconscious boy on the ground.

"What'd we do we him?" Rick looked over to Shane with puzzled look.

"Kill him," Rick muttered coldly. Stephanie raised both of her eyebrows and gasped in disbelief.

"We can't just kill him like this," she cried. Shane got to his feet, took a deep breath and tried not to sound malicious in his reasoning.

"He's a threat. There's no other choice."

"No, that's not moral to just kill someone like this! Let alone the fact that he's just a boy!" She pleaded.

"Then what should we do, just let him in the group?" Rick spat back to her. Stephanie shook her head and stepped back. She sheepishly glanced around the hallways trying to figure out a valid suggestion.

"No, can't we just turn him out?"

"What do you mean? Take 'im out and leave him somewhere?" Shane replied. He glanced over to Rick and thought about what happened the last time they did that. Rick raised a hand telling him that now was definitely not the time talk about that.

"Yeah, can't we do that?" Stephanie stressed as she crouched down feeling the boy's head. Rick, feeling irritation building in his gut, bit down flexing his cheek muscles and glanced over to Shane again. Shane shook his head.

"No, he could come back with more people." Stephanie shot her face up at Rick and gaped. Rick and Shane both shrugged not knowing what else to add. Stephanie exhaled a breath and got up to her feet. She glanced down at the boy one last time and turned around.

"I don't know what else to say.." Stephanie whispered. "Fine do it then." Shane glanced over to her with a slightly shocked expression. Rick nodded and aimed his pistol down at the boy. Rick almost pulled the trigger, but stopped himself. He crouched down and searched his pockets maybe for a wallet or some way to identify himself. Nothing.

Stephanie frowned and began walking back to the cell block. Shane tapped Rick on the shoulder and followed up behind her. Rick glanced down at the boy, crouched down and focused his gun at the center of the boy's forehead. "I'm sorry.." And he pulled the trigger. The brass cartridge flipped out the chamber and hit the ground.

Rick stumbled up to his feet and felt a horrible guilt pain in his stomach. He grabbed ahold of his stomach and staggered next to a wall. 'I had no choice..' He kept telling himself. Suddenly he heard a soft familiar voice.

"Do whatever you gotta do to keep this group safe." Rick flung his head around restlessly searching where the voice came from. He knew that voice all too well and his eyes became glassy. He started pacing through the complex and he came up to a long hallway. He glanced down the hallway and noticed a shiny white silhouette walking in his direction.

"Lori.." Rick whispered shakily. He slowly began walking towards his wife. Lori stopped and brought out her hand to Rick. Rick reached out his hand to her and attempted to touch her hand, but his hand we right through it. He shook his head and tried again, but his hand went right through hers again. "No..no no.." Rick mumbled. Lori took a couple steps towards him slowly. She brought her hands to his cheeks and gave him a comforting smile. Rick felt the warm touch of her hands and he closed his eyes gently.

When he opened his eyes back up, she was gone. He gasped and lowered his head in shame for not giving her another chance since the situation with Shane. Rick glanced around the hallway and then began walking back to the cell block.

* * *

"Daryl, what happened?" Shane asked quickly as he rushed out from the cell block. Daryl was helping Merle up to his feet and turned his head.

"Dat asshole ova' there kicked Merle's ass here," Shane smirked and found it hilarious that Merle actually got what he longed deserved. "But.." Daryl began to add, "we lost Oscar. Son' bitch shot him three times before Oscar drilled his head." Shane glanced over to the side of the building. There he spotted three motionless bodies, one of them being what seems to be the remains of Oscar.

"Shit.." Shane glanced back to Daryl and scratched his neck. "We'll give him a proper burial." He studied Merle's bruised up face and his steel arm. The arm was still usable but it was damaged from being shot. "Get him to Hershel. I'll stay guard out here." Daryl nodded and got a better grip of his injured brother. Glenn and Maggie began walking back to the tower. "Nah I got it guys, get some sleep."

"Oh alright, thanks Shane," Glenn replied and shifted his direction to C block. Maggie nodded a thank you to Shane and followed Glenn. Shane nodded back and took a long look around the prison courtyard. He eyes then fixed onto his black Camaro. He noticed many bullet holes around the front left side of the car.

"Fuckin bastards shot up my car!" He roared in anger. He paced up to the car and counted six holes. "Goddamn," he hissed. He shifted his stance and glared at the dead body on the other side of the courtyard. He exhaled a pissed off breath and made his way to the guard tower.

* * *

Rick entered the cell block and noticed Merle on a table being treated by Hershel. "What's he doing out of the other cell block?" He demanded coldly. Daryl glanced over to Rick with an emotionless reaction.

"Shane let him out." Rick raised a brow. 'Of all people, Shane?' He thought to himself. "The intruders came in from the other cell block so he had to."

"He got busted up pretty bad. I'm surprised he didn't pass out from the punishment that was dealt," Hershel remarked as he bandaged Merle's head.

"I've been in worse," Merle calmly remarked. "I ain't gonna be taken down in one fist fight against a giant," he joked forming a small smirk.

Hershel checked his prosthetic and noticed the dent on the end of it. "Good thing you don't have your hand." Hershel lifted Merle's arm to show him. Merle glanced over to it and smirked slightly.

"Yeah, I'm startin' to see dat."

Hershel helped Merle to a sitting position. "You need rest, Merle. You need to let your body do the rest of the work. I've done what I could."

"C'mon bro, he's right. Get yer ass up," Daryl ordered. He wrapped an arm around him and got him in a cot in one of the cells.

Rick realized Shane wasn't in the room. "Where is Shane?"

"He's guarding for the night," Glenn answered walking into the room. Rick nodded and walked up to the second floor to see his baby. Carol, Carl and Beth surrounded the baby.

"How is she doing?"

"Doing fine. Eats like a horse," Carol replied with a smile. "You want to hold your daughter?" Rick nodded. Carol very gently handed Rick his daughter. Rick sat down and looked into his daughter's beautiful eyes. After a long stare in her eyes, the baby smiled. Carol and Beth both awed and Carl smirked.

"Judith," Carl said as he sat next to his father, "that's her name." Rick smiled and brought his baby up and kissed her on the forehead.

"Judith," he replied softly, "sure fits." Carl smiled and glanced over to Beth. Beth smiled back and sat next to Carl.

"I dunno bout you guys but I think 'Lil Ass-Kicker' fits better with her," Daryl joked as he walked up the stairs to them. Rick, for the first time in a while, felt content with his surroundings despite the earlier fight. This is his family and he was happy with that.

"That could be her middle name," Carl joked back. Daryl let out a monotonic laugh and stood next to Carol. Rick smirked and looked over to Carl.

"Judith 'Lil Ass-Kicker' Grimes, hmph, seems like the name fits." Carl patted his father on the back and got to his feet.

"You should be with her alone for a bit," Carl suggested. Rick smiled and nodded loftily. "Alright, well I'm gonna get some sleep." With that, Carl began walking downstairs to his cell. Beth gave Rick one last comforting smile and followed Carl down the stairs. Daryl and Carol lastly smiled at Rick and left him there with his daughter.

Rick looked down at his daughter and smiled. "Judith, I know you won't understand me, but I just have say this," he closed his eyes brought her closer, "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise." His voice is very shaky and sincere. "I love you." He opened his eyes back up and gazed into her eyes once again. "You have your mother's eyes."

* * *

**here ya are, I hope it was worth it :) please review and I'll get to work on chapter 8 give me ideas about the governor!**


	8. The Sadist

**Alrighty, sorry about the long wait, but here ya go. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing **

* * *

"It's been three days, you think any of them are coming back?"

"Merle couldn't of been taken down by a biter, he must of crossed another group."

"Like who?"

"I don't know, Milton. The others probably didn't make it, but Merle had to of survived."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Milton asked carefully.

The Governor smirked and crossed his arms. "Merle's got military experience and that little bayonet of his," he said as he jester his right hand, "he is also one of the toughest assholes I know. He can't be dead."

Despite the Governor's judgement, Milton's expression turned concerned even though this was Merle they were talking about. He never liked Merle but if the Governor trusted him, so did he. "So what do you plan to do?" He asked sheepishly.

"I'll send out a couple of people to search them," the Governor replied in a low tone.

* * *

Shane walked into C block and saw Axel stirring in a cooking pot. "Mornin Shane, care for some noodles?" Shane smirked and shook his head politely.

"Nah man, I gotta get some shut eye," he replied rubbing his eyes. Axel nodded in acknowledgement and continued stirring in the pot. Shane remembered that Axel was good friends with Oscar. "Hey man," he started. Axel turned his head. "I'm sorry about Oscar. He was a good guy."

"I know, he really was. Before you got here, another prisoner with us, Tomas, he was bad news. Oscar always protected me from him and his other man," he fell into deep thought, "most of the fellas I knew in here were good men. I just feel sad that they didn't get to see their families before this plague." Shane nodded and understood what he was feeling.

"I know, it's rough. I guess it's for the best though. They are out of this nightmare," he assured lowly, "be we are still in it. It just depends how we treat it."

Axel raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Shane started as he laid his hands on his hips, "the world hasn't changed. Death has always been there. We just have deal with it." He knew he was no motivational speaker but he tried to make his point. "You can't dwell on it," he started, "you can't dwell on any of it. It'll only bring you down." Axel slowly looked up to him and nodded.

"Alright.."

"You'll be fine man, just keep your guard up and yer wit clear," Shane suggested sincerely. Shane gave him nodded to him in reassurance and walked to his cell.

He walked into his cell and dropped into his cot. The only thing that crossed his mind was sleep. He hasn't slept well for the past two days. He was out of it in less than a minute.

Carl woke up to the sight of Beth outside his cell caring for the baby. "Hey," he greeted in an early raspy voice. Beth turned her head and smiled back.

"Hey you, how did you sleep?" She asked back with a bigger smile.

"Pretty good, and you?"

"It was alright, but I'm still sorta scared after what happened last night," she frowned slightly. Carl leaned up into a sitting position. He stretched out his arms and exhaled a large breath. He glanced back over to her and attempted a smile.

"Don't worry Beth, you are safe here," he assured her. Beth nodded and smiled back at him. Carl got up and grabbed his trademarked Science Dog t-shirt. Beth got a pretty good look at his scar just below the right side of his ribs and she lost herself in the thought of the pain he suffered through when he first came to the farm. At the time, she was worried that he wouldn't make the night, but sure enough he pulled through thanks to the efforts of Shane and Otis. But nevertheless, Carl was a fighter like his father.

"Beth, everything okay?" Beth snapped out her stare and refocused back on Carl's face. Carl realized that she was looking at his scar.

"Does it still hurt?" She suddenly asked. Carl looked down and felt the area around the scar.

"Not really. Actually, it's doesn't hurt at all. It pretty much reminds me of my dad." Beth raised a brow.

"Why is that?"

"Well before this all happened my dad was shot right here," he motioned around his left peck. Beth gasped.

"Oh gosh, how did he survive that?"

"I'm not completely sure how he got back to us, but," he paused and slipped on his t-shirt, "about a month after the outbreak, he found his way back into our group."

Beth raised both eyebrows in shock. "Wow that's amazing. I think that's a miracle that he found his way back to you guys, especially a month after day one." Carl pondered on her accusation of it being a miracle but to an extent, she was absolutely right.

"Yeah I guess so," he replied in a monotonic lower voice. Beth shifted her grip on Judith and glanced back to Carl with a slightly surprised reaction. Carl grabbed and put on his hat.

"Carl, you have to admit, that really was a miracle," she seriously stressed. Carl raised an eyebrow and exited his cell without saying a word. Beth opened her eyes a little wider. "Carl?"

"What about when we found Sophia in the barn as a walker? Mm?" Beth lowered her head and frowned. Carl grunted and began walking towards the kitchen or what seemed to be the kitchen.

Beth exhaled hardly. "Carl please," she started. Carl stopped in his tracks and turned around folding his arms. "Please don't be like that.." Carl squinted his eyes but very faintly revealed a softer face.

Suddenly, Daryl started walking down the stairs. As he walked down, he noticed Carl's reaction. "Somethin' wrong?" Carl glanced over to the hunter.

"Nothing. Nothing wrong at all," Carl flatly replied and walked to the kitchen. Daryl raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Beth. Beth just looked away and tended to the baby.

"Wha' was that al'bout?" Daryl asked her with his raspy voice. Beth looked back over to him and hesitated a breath. She shook her head and looked back at the baby.

"He's just worried.." She whispered with a shaky voice. Her eyes became a tad glassy. Daryl grunted and began walking to the cell his brother was in.

Daryl stood at the threshold watching Hershel tend to an unconscious Merle. "How's he doing?" Hershel glanced back at him.

"He'll pull through just fine. He just needs to rest here for a bit." Hershel gave a small reassuring smile to Daryl and turned back around to get back tending to the elder Dixon. Daryl nodded and turned around to be met face to face with Michonne.

"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked as he focused his eyes on hers. Despite the terrifying look Daryl was prone to giving out, Michonne stared right back at him with an extremely fierce and sense of seriousness in her eyes. Daryl didn't know if she was attempting to scare him or maybe trying to warn him about something.

"You his brother?" She asked quickly and coldly. Daryl cocked a brow and adjusted his weight on his other foot.

"What's it to ya?" He replied flatly. There was a short pause between the two. Michonne only squinted her eyes a little tighter.

"That son of a bitch shot me," she spat as she lightly patted her leg. Daryl pressed his teeth together and lowered both of his brows.

"Watch what ya say, woman," he ordered pointing a finger at her.

"He's going to get someone here killed. He's dangerous." Michonne took a step closer to him and the muscles in her forehead tensed up.

Originally, Daryl was going to push her to wall and go off but his self control got the better of him. "I won't let that happen. Ya understand me?"

Michonne didn't move and she just stood her ground. "His people are going to look for him and when they find him here with me, they won't hesitate to kill all of us, except you."

Daryl felt many fixed feeling going on in his head and he started pacing back and forth in front of her. "What're ya saying?"

"We have to be prepared and your brother here isn't in any way a help to us. He'll only get us all killed."

"I won't like my bro do that, and how can ya be so sure that they'll jus kill us?"

"Cause I was there. I know what these fellas are like." Michonne gave him one last intimidating look and slowly made her way to the door exiting C block. Daryl stood there rubbing his forehead and swaying his stance. Suddenly he felt someone tap him on his shoulder and he whirled his head around to meet an unlikely face.

"Steph?" Daryl raised a brow at the wary young girl.

"She's right, I was there too." Daryl shifted his stance and rubbed his developing goatee.

"What are ya sayin?"

"I'm saying that the Governor," she paused and glanced over to Merle's cell, "he's gonna look for him. Either that or he'll see him as a traitor. If not, he already sees him as a traitor." She paused and glanced back to Daryl. "This man, The Governor, is a brutal son of a bitch." She looked around the cell and hesitated.

"Keep going," Daryl said lowly.

"He's got the numbers. Guns, blood thirsty men, support from the citizens," she paused once again, "and Merle here is his right hand man."

"Can't we use that to our advantage?"

Stephanie squinted her eyes. "You are acting like you want to go to war with these guys."

Daryl snorted and glanced around the room. "Didn' mean it like that. Just saying."

"Well it's probably going to happen considering that when he sees Michonne and Merle together, he's going to see him and I as a traitor."

"Ya probably should go tell Rick all this, he should be up soon." Stephanie nodded and Daryl started for the kitchen.

Michonne sat on a chair outside in courtyard and looked off in the distance among the walkers just on the other side of the complex. She knew that sooner or later the Governor would find out their location at the prison. Only a matter of time.

Out of the blue, the door to the guard tower opened and Maggie came in through the gate without even noticing Michonne's presence. Michonne smirked lightly as the young girl walked towards the door with her head down. She looked up and was startled at the sight of Michonne sitting in the chair. "Jesus, you scared the shit outta me."

Michonne snorted and looked out in the distance. "Didn't mean to," she replied flatly. Maggie raised a brow and resumed walking back to the block. As she opened the door, she ran into Daryl.

"Sorry."

"No biggy," Daryl replied and he brushed past her. He walked down to where Michonne was sitting. "'Ey," he called out. Michonne turned her head and met the hunter's gaze.

"Need something?"

Daryl shifted his crossbow and glanced around the field. "So what are we dealin with her?"

Michonne raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"The Gov, how many people does he have?"

Michonne glanced back to him. "Too many to count," she replied. She gazed back to the field. "I have a debt to settle with that son of a bitch."

Daryl glanced up at the guard tower then back at Michonne. As he opened his mouth to reply he was cut off by the sound of the cell block door opening. Merle came out and began walking towards his little brother. "Hey lil' bro," he greeted as he extended his arms out. Daryl raised both eyebrows up.

"How the..?"

"Did I get up? I ain't gonna be sittin in a cage all day so I thought I'd get some air," he said with a mischievous smirk. He glanced over to Michonne and his smirked twirled a little higher in his cheeks. "Michonne," he started, "Y'know I gotta say, we got off to a bad start-"

"That's quite an understatement," Michonne spat and she never turned her head to look at him. She patted her left leg lightly, "remember? You shot me." Merle glanced to her leg and noticed the rip in her jeans. He smirked a little more.

"I know I did. I was jus doin what the Gov told me, no hard feelings." Michonne shot her head back at him and glared into his eyes. She opened her mouth to rebuke his obvious attempt to get out of the conversation but she suddenly had an idea.

"You know, I can't see you as a person's ass wiper, so why do you take orders from a man who doesn't give a shit about existence?"

Merle's smirked immediately dissipated and he fired a death stare at the woman. "That man saved my ass and helped me get back on my feet," he spat furiously at the seated woman. Michonne gripped her katana just in case he'd try something. "He found me at my weakest point, you can't say he just saved me for the hell of it!"

Michonne smirked a tad. "The way I see it, you are a tool to him. He found a broken tool and rebuilt it for his own use. You aren't shit to him!"

Merle growled a little and started to march at her but Daryl stopped him in his tracks. "Bro stop!"

"You lil' pig! I ain't his tool!"

"Fuck bro, calm the fuck down!"

Rick came running out of the cell block with his Python revolver drawn. "What's the goin on?"

Merle glanced over to the former cop. "Fuckin nigger is pissing me off!"

Rick grabbed ahold of Merle and pulled him back away from Michonne. "Hey asshole, last time I recall, a 'nigger' saved your sorry ass from a white trash giant." Merle turned his head quickly at Rick and he instantly became silent. "Wasn't that enough to get my point across your thick head?" Merle pressed his lips together at the comment Rick told him back on the roof. "Look Merle, if you're gonna stay here, you are going to listen to what I say, understood?"

"It's not like I got any choice here righ'?" Rick didn't reply. Suddenly they heard the cell entrance open again. This time, Shane, Axel, and Carl can out wondering what all the commotion was about.

"What's wrong?"

"Jus what I need, two damn cops," Merle commented mainly to himself. Rick glared at the redneck.

"Everything's fine, just a couple of misunderstandings," Rick replied as he let go of Merle. Shane raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Michonne and back at Merle.

"Quite an understatement," Daryl whispered to himself as he walked in between his brother and the swords woman. He gave Merle a 'what the hell are you doing' look.

Merle smirked lightly and made his way to the bleachers next to the cell block's door. "He's gotta cool it Daryl. If he keeps up like this, he's gone," Rick said as he withdrew his Python.

Daryl glared at Rick and squinted his eyes. "If he's gone, I'm gone."

"Daryl why?" Shane asked trying not be so loud so Merle couldn't hear.

"He's m'brother. I ain't leavin him like that again." Shane squinted his eyes a little swayed his stance a bit. He rubbed his head and glanced back at the redneck.

"Fuckin be in control of your brother than. We can't always keep an eye on him, understand man?" Shane said with a hint of anger.

"Fine," Daryl replied.

* * *

"Governor, we found him."

The Governor quickly looked over from his desk in Milton's small laboratory. "Where?" He asked Martinez.

"A prison about half a days drive."

"Why isn't he here?"

Martinez paused for a second."Thing is, he's with Michonne and a small group. One of them from the looks of it I think is his long lost brother." The Governor narrowed his eyes and pressed down on his teeth.

"Son of a bitch, he betrayed us. Tell me who we are dealing with."

"I don't think I saw everyone, but there was a young china boy in a guard tower, a jew fro tough guy, a young boy, the other redneck and a slim man who seemed to be the leader of the group. There are probably more I'm guessing inside the walls."

The Governor looked back to his desk and took a sip of his scotch. After a long exhale, he began nodding slowly. "Well it's clear where Merle's loyalty lays. He's a threat to us now," he squinted his eyes a little. "I want you to have people be on constant reconnaissance of that place. When they have someone go on a run, capture them and bring 'em here, alright?"

"Yes Governor." Martinez left the room and Milton glanced over to him.

"You sure he's a traitor, sir?"

The Governor slowly turned his head to the doctor. "He's with Michonne, Absolutely."

"What should we tell Andrea?"

"Nothing yet."

"Okay I won't say anything."

The Governor grabbed ahold of his glass of scotch and downed the rest of it. He let out a large exhale after the initial sting of the drink. 'Son of bitch, you are going to pay for going against me!'

* * *

**sorry this chapter had barely any action, but I promise the later ones will! Please comment and review**


	9. Taken

**Wow.. Its been 7 months since I touched this story, finally I can get back to it. Shane's the man and wish I'd see more of him in the show, but that won't happen. Also, I revised almost all the other chapters before posting this one so if ya want to, reread them. Either way, here's another chapter. Hope you guys and girls enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything by TWD or AMC.**

* * *

Several days gone by since the raid on the prison. Merle's wounds were fully recovered, with exception of his damaged prosthetic. Michonne finally regained her right to walk from the older redneck's gunshot. All that remained was the tension between the two former Woodbury survivors.

Shane had guard duty in the tower all night. Without anyone to talk to, all there was to do was play around with his favorite Mossberg 590 shotgun and think. The only thing that could cross his head through the night was Lori. He remembered every bit of detail Rick threw at him several months ago on the trip eighteen miles out. The one thing he told him that stuck in his head is the fact that Rick strongly stressed that he did not love her, only thought that he did. And that statement stuck to him like superglue.

The one thing he knew for a fact was that he cared for Carl as if it was his own boy. Then there was little Judith. All he wondered was if she was his. A part of him wishes that DNA testing was still around, but the other part of him was to stay away because it would only cause a war with his best friend. He loves Rick like was his own brother and wishes every day that he didn't destroy his friendship. As he thoroughly thought over Rick's statement from the road, he was beginning to realize he was right.

His train of thought broke from the sound of ignition being turned. The burly man got up from his flip chair and glanced down over the railing. Glenn and Maggie were packing up a couple weapons into their grey pickup.

"Hey, y'all goin' on a run?" He shouted from the tower.

Glenn looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. Me, Maggie and Daryl. We're going to look for some baby formula and anything else worth taking."

Shane raised both eyebrows and nodded. "Alright, b' careful out there, man." Glenn gave him two thumbs up and he and Maggie started walking back to cell block. The former cop looked up and noticed Carol on the catwalk talking and smirking to Axel. The prisoner was smiling and had his arms crossed. He had worries about that prisoner. From what information he gathered, that prisoner had more than enough time to do something if he was ever up to something. Shane knew how to read most people mostly because it was part of his police training. Although, he usually let Rick or another officer make the calls and distinctions on people or suspects. Rick was and still is exceptionally talented at analyzing a person's personality.

His train of thought broke as the sound of banging at the cell block door. Daryl came out shuffling his feet, swinging his left arm back and forth, and held his legendary Horton crossbow in his left hand. Behind him, his older brother walked out with his arms extended griping about something. Shane couldn't tell what they were saying, but he could tell that something made the older Dixon very upset. Shane didn't bother to think what the fuss was about, he didn't care for the one-handed douche bag.

The hunter turned around and yelled something harsh at his older brother. Whatever he said, it managed to shut Merle's mouth. The older Dixon rolled his eyes and rested his body on the side of the fence around the entrance of C block. Daryl gave his brother one last look and began walking back to the truck. The hunter searched the back and cursed to himself. He placed his crossbow on the hood of the truck and glanced up at Shane. "Hey," he yelled up at the tower.

"What's up, Daryl?" The cop yelled back.

"Ya see any my arrows up there?" The hunter opened up the backdoor of the pickup and threw his crossbow in.

"Hold up," Shane got up from his chair and glanced into the small room. He found one bolt on one of tables and picked it up, then walked back out next to the railing. "Yeah, only one though," he yelled down then dropped it into the back of the truck.

Daryl took ahold of it and nodded a little. "Better 'n none." He gave Shane a quick nod and got into the passenger seat. Glenn and Maggie came out of the cell block and walked to the truck. Glenn loaded 9mm rounds into a magazine.

"When should y'all get back?" Shane asked.

Glenn loaded the clip into his Glock 19 and looked back up at him. "Uh, I don't know. We should be back before dusk."

Shane nodded and sat back down on his chair with a long exhale. The grey pickup truck drove down the gravel pathway to the second set of gates. Rick and Carl opened up the first gate allowing the pickup to go through then closed it back up. They then rushed to the second gate and opened it right up. The grey pickup drove out into the distance of the road.

Shane grabbed ahold of the Remington 700 and scoped around the fields. The only thing he saw were walkers. The dumb meat bags only growled and pulled on the fence trying their absolute best to get past them even though they couldn't bite or rip through metal, but they were too stupid to know otherwise. The burly man then realized a larger group of walkers closing in behind the set already banging on the fence.

"Shit," he cursed beneath his breath. He pulled the bolt back and placed a round into the rifle's chamber and looked back through the scope. He took a deep breath and placed his index finger on the trigger.

"I wouldn' do that if I were ya, officer," a raspy older redneck voice came from behind him. Shane jumped a little and glared back at the one handed redneck. Merle stood at the doorway with his arms crossed and a smug smile. The former officer looked away and shook his head. Whatever this redneck does, it annoys him.

"What're doin' here, Merle?" He questioned in a low voice.

Merle smirked sarcastically and walked up to the railing next to Shane. "Ah, I jus' wanted to see the view. B'sides, thought I'd look out for ya a bit. I am a good shot y'know." The redneck looked back at the former officer and smiled. "How 'bout it?"

Shane snorted. "Yeah, ya think you're a good shot without your good hand?" He commented with a forming smirk.

Merle's smug smile lowered a bit. "If I had m' good hand, I'd beatcha with my eyes closed, boy." His smile widened again. "Either way, I never figured you t' be a sharpshooter. My brotha an' I were quite the hunters back in the day."

Shane knew not to take it as an insult, but there was truth in the redneck's claim. "Point taken, man, but I still ain't giving you this rifle."

Merle raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the right. "Fine, suit yerself, 'm only tryin to help." The elder redneck grabbed ahold of a flip chair inside the tower and placed it close but at fairly comfortable distance from the former police officer. Shane glanced over to the one-handed man and noticed the sharp piece of metal duct taped onto his prosthetic.

In order to break the uneasy feeling in Shane's stomach, he commented on the metal addition to Merle's stump. "I see ya improvised a bit there," he sarcastically commented.

Merle turned his gaze from the field then focused onto the stump. The redneck lifted his arm and nodded. "Jus gettin m'self situated."

"Aren't ya, now?" Shane mocked.

Without warning, Merle focused in on Shane. "Y'know, Officer 'Stallion'," the redneck began in a serious tone. Shane raised an eyebrow at the nickname the hillbilly gave him. "This plan of yours that sends my brotha out there ain't sittin well with me."

Shane cracked a smile and ran his fingers through his hair. "First off, it ain't my plan. But y'know anyone with a brainstem would understand that the baby needs to eat." Merle slightly twitched his lip. "Besides, your brother handles himself well."

Merle's reaction didn't change. "I'm sure he does, but the Governor is out there lookin' for me and Michonne, and if he finds yer little chink and his pretty little girlfriend, he won't hesitate to capture them."

The former officer's reaction became puzzled and he started pondering on the statement. "So what are ya saying?"

"I'm sayin ya should let me go out there an' flatten out this whole misunderstanding."

Shane nodded a little in acknowledgement, but things weren't adding up in his mind. His old profession started kicking in. He looked away for a second then glared back at the redneck. "Let me ask ya this, man." The redneck leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Shane continued, "if ya shot Michonne, I'm guessing that means you were sent by this Governor to kill her, am I right?" The redneck didn't twitch or change his facial reaction, but the former cop knew his answer was a yes. "Yeah, and that means Stephanie was in on that too, right?"

The redneck shook his head and shifted in his chair. "Nah, she had the brilliant idea of going out and stoppin me. So as soon as I left with a couple others, she slipped out the town and tried to find me. As soon as I lost that black bitch, she and I had to find a ride, which was when your boy Glenn took us hostage."

Shane nodded again and glanced out at the front gate. Rick and Carl were popping the undead through the fence. "Alright, so you want me to convince Rick to let you go out there and talk to this Gov so shit don't hit the fan?"

The redneck nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"Don't expect much, man. I trust ya ain't gonna shoot me in back are ya?" Shane questioned the redneck as he handed over his Remington.

Merle grabbed ahold of the rifle. "I have no intension to shoot ya, officer. If I wanted ya dead, you'd be gone a long time ago." Shane smirked and started walking down out the watchtower.

"That's funny, then keep watch then."

Shane came out of the watchtower and started pacing down towards the front gate. He opened up the first door and approached his friend. "Hey man I need to talk to ya."

Rick turned around slowly and glanced up at the watchtower. "Who's keeping watch?"

Shane hesitated and glanced up at the tower. "Merle."

Rick looked back at his friend with a puzzled expression, then back up at the tower. "You sure that's a good idea? Giving him that rifle?"

Shane shifted his positioning and squinted his eyes. "Well, I don't think he's gonna do anythang, honestly. He's had many chances to kill us."

"Fine, what's on your mind?" Rick asked directly. Carl turned his head from gate at the height of Ricks voice.

Shane hesitated a bit, then cleared his throat. "Well Merle thinks that shit's gonna fly with this Governor guy. He wants to go out and talk to him, but I'm thinking he's not telling us the whole story. Y'know, Michonne came here and since then, things haven't been too good between them. He was ordered by the Gov to kill her." Rick turned his gaze from his friend and started nodding. Shane continued. "I'm thinking that if the Gov don't think he's dead, then he's probably with her. Y'know what I'm sayin?"

"Yeah I see. Tell him no. I'll have a word with Michonne." Rick patted his friend on the shoulder and started walking back up to the prison. Shane noticed Merle waving his good hand at his friend in a jeering manor.

The former officer walked up to Carl and rubbed the top of his head. "W'sup man?"

Carl smirked and wiped the blood off his pocket knife, then slipped it into his pocket. "Nothing much. Just on the clean up." Shane smirked and leaned onto the side of the watchtower. Carl walked next to the former officer and leaned onto it as well. "What was that all about?"

Shane looked down at the tough kid. "Well," he started, trying to find words that would fit to his understanding. "Let's just say Merle is unhappy 'bout lettin Daryl go out there."

"Sounds like an understatement to me. He looked pretty mad earlier."

Shane looked on the other side if the fence at the dead meat bags hissing. He pondered if he should tell Carl what actually was going on. Fairly quickly, he decided to, mostly because he has the right to know the situation as anyone does. "Well, alright I'll tell ya the deal..."

* * *

"This seems like a good enough place to look, huh?" The former pizza deliverer stated to the other two as the truck approached an abandoned convenient store with the windows completely boarded up. Many cars and SUVs were parked around in the parking lot.

Daryl shrugged and placed a bolt in his Horton. "Eh, s'good a place 's any. Might as well check out the joint." The pickup came to a stop and the three survivors piled out of it. Daryl looked around for any possible threats as the other two tried to get the two by fours and plywood off from the door.

Maggie ran back to the truck and grabbed a crowbar then ran back to the door. "This should work." She jammed it into the side and started wedging the wood off one by one.

The hunter started getting a little nervous at the amount of time taking to open up the store. "C'mon, we ain't got all day y'know?" He impatiently growled. Something was making him feel uneasy, like something or someone was watching them. Being a hunter by heart, he had a sixth sense of knowing when he's being watched. He scanned the woods across the road and his eyes kept focusing on one part of the tree line. He rose his crossbow and aimed over to where his eyes kept focusing to observe if that something would become startled, or attack.

"Got it. C'mon," Maggie announced to the hunter. She and Glenn walked inside the vacancy, but the hunter stood his ground a little longer just outside the door.

"Ya guys go look fer stuff, I'll keep watch out here for a bit." He stood behind the truck with one hand holding onto his crossbow's handle and the other on his holster containing Andrea's old S & W Ladysmith. He laid his crossbow on the hood of the truck and aimed it at the direction of the possible threat.

Glenn and Maggie came walking out the store with a couple full baskets of canned food and baby formula. The Asian opened up the back door and slid them in and looked over to Daryl.

"Everything alright?" He asked with a slightly concerned expression.

Daryl shook his head. "No," he replied in low tone not looking away from the section in the tree line. Glenn and Maggie both looked over in the direction of where the hunter was looking. "We're being watched."

"How do you know?" Glenn asked as he grabbed onto his Glock 19.

"I jus' know, trust me."

The three members of the prison group froze and stared at the section of the woods. Glenn and Maggie still couldn't see anything and were starting to think that Daryl was becoming a little paranoid. Glenn withdrew his handgun and looked back at the hunter.

"Daryl, I don't think-"

"Glenn.." Maggie suddenly cried. Glenn and Daryl both whirled their heads towards the farmer's daughter. There they saw a gun pointed at her temple and a man standing behind her with his other arm wrapped around her neck. Daryl rose his Horton toward the stranger and Glenn drew his Glock and pointed it at the man's head.

"Hey get your hands off her!" Glenn ordered fiercely and gripped his handgun tighter.

"Whoa whoa there fellas," the man calmly stated. The stranger's face came into a better view to the two prison group members. He was Hispanic, not very tall, built, black beard and dark eyes. He had a smug smile on his face.

"You fellas are slightly outmanned and outgunned."

The next the hunter knew, there was an end of a barrel at the back of his head. "Fuck.." He said in low voice. Glenn had two shotgun barrels aimed at his head.

"Yeah that's right pal, now drop that shit," the man behind Daryl ordered. Both he and Glenn slowly placed their weapons down. "Now hands up." Both men reluctantly put up their hands. The man pulled the Ladysmith from Daryl's holster and turned him around. As he got a better look at the people around him, he realized the Hispanic wasn't bluffing. There were roughly ten men with assault rifles all pointed at him and Glenn.

The man in front of him was a slim white man that had very long black hair, a trimmed beard, dark brown eyes, and large scar over his left eye. The man smiled maliciously and gave a signal to a large black man with a bow in his hand. "Alright. Let's get 'em back."

Suddenly, a quick flash and everything went black.


	10. Made to Suffer

**Here's chapter 10. Lots of stuff are going to happen so stay tuned in on this chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Walking Dead. **

* * *

"What the hell you sayin', man? You can't find her?" Shane yelled at his best friend as he and Carl continued running up the gravel pathway.

Rick had his Colt Python drawn and kept pacing around the courtyard. "I dunno! She's not in the cell block or the tombs, I can't find her anywhere!" He rushed out next to the tower and met up with Shane and his son.

"Seems like she has a thang for runnin away!" Merle yelled down from the tower with a amused tone. Shane rolled his eyes. The damn redneck would never shut the hell up. Rick restlessly scanned everywhere in the field then up at Merle.

"You didn't see her, did you?" He roared up at the redneck. Merle shook his head and made attempt to lose his ear to ear smile.

"What, she just decide to bail on us?" Shane questioned. Rick withdrew his revolver and rested both hands on his head, frustrated.

"Ah! Speak of th' devil!" Merle announced and pointed off to the road. Both former cops glanced over to the direction and they spotted Michonne holding a cart of supplies in one hand, and wielding her trusty katana in her other. She paced herself towards the gate and sliced off the heads of walkers that stood in her way.

Merle started laughing at her and looked down at the two cops. "Well? Should ya go see wha' she's up to, Officer Friendly?" Rick ignored the redneck's comment and he and Shane both began sprinting down the gravel towards the front gate.

The African samurai came to stop at the gate and dropped her basket next to it. She then immediately turned around and rose her sword in front of her as many walkers shuffled toward her. The first meat bag threw its hands at the woman but completely missed as the samurai dodged the grapple and gracefully uppercutted her sword at the neck, completely decapitating it.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for many other biters. The samurai whirled her sword around her head and sliced three walker heads clean from their shoulders. The particular maneuver impressed Shane and he studied her skills with that sword of hers. She cut down four more of the undead and shot a lot back at the two cops.

"Are you going to open up?" She quickly asked as she swung at few more corpses.

Rick had his Colt Python drawn waved it at the samurai. "Where were you?" He growled at her. The woman shot a glare back at the former deputy that slapped Shane across the face. The cop nearly had any fears, but the looks and glares Michonne threw at him, Rick and Merle startled him, and that's an understatement.

"You mean to ask me now? I have important things to tell you!" She yelled back at the cop. Before Rick could ponder on what he should do, a small herd of walkers appeared from the tree line. Shane took the initiative and started getting the gate open. Rick finally began helping out his friend and they both pulled it back. Michonne sliced off a couple more heads, grabbed onto the cart and rushed inside the gate.

Before either men could act, walkers started piling at the gate. The survivors had no choice but to take down this small herd. Rick quickly aimed his .357 at walker, blew its brains out and gunned down three more. He then withdrew it and pulled out his machete. Shane pulled out his curved blade stood next to his friend. Five walkers came at them hissing and growling with their hands out in front of them. Rick swung his blade at the corpse in the middle, engraving his blade into its head. Shane swung and sliced a walker across the face, completely distorting its facial features. The samurai swung her sword around and decapitated two of the walkers' heads. She turned her head and noticed that another walker got too close to her. Before she could parry, a rifle shot pierced the air and that walker dropped dead with barely a face.

She glanced back at the tower and spotted the redneck that tried kill her not a week ago, just save her life. The biker fired four more rifle rounds, dropping four corpses, all in rapid succession. Needless to say, he was a hell of a marksman.

Shane drew his Glock and started shooting down some of the herd. He glanced over to his friend who cut down the last walker in hand-to-hand distance. "Ya wanna close that gate, man?" The three survivors all backed up behind the gate and started closing it as a group effort.

The cop realized that another walker was getting close and he let go of the fence. Just as he about to draw his handgun, the walker dropped and a gunshot echoed from behind him. Carl glanced over to the cop. "I have you covered Shane, help my dad!" Without hesitation, the man helped close the gate. Rick locked the latches and looked back at his friend.

"Well, that couldn't of been easier," Shane commented with a slight smirk. His friend couldn't help but smirk a little, but it dissipated as soon as his gaze focused onto Michonne who was cleaning the rotten blood off her blade.

"I'm going to ask you again, where were you?" His voice was direct and very serious.

The African samurai just lifted her gaze from her katana and glared at the former deputy. Rick didn't break any sort of eye contact with the woman and he took a step towards her. The woman glanced over to Shane. "I went out."

"Clearly," Rick replied coldly. He placed a hand on his Colt Python. Shane noticed that his friend was possibly losing himself and walked in between the two with his hands up.

"Hey hey hey, c'mon man. Not worth killin each other," the man concluded. Rick glanced to his friend then to his son and finally lifted his hand from his holster. Shane turned his head and met the intimidating woman's glare. "Just tell us why ya went out there, Michonne."

The woman flicked her sword over, then withdrew it into its sheath. She gave Shane a slightly less intimidating look, but it was still a glare nonetheless. "I have my own reasons for going out. Neither of you can tell me if I can or can't."

Both cops tensed up a bit. Rick took another step forward, not forgetting about what the woman claimed that convinced him to open the gate. "You said you had information," the leader hissed. Shane raised his hand to her defense, never leaving her glare.

"I was just getting to that," she replied flatly. Shane brought down his arms, rested them on his hips and pressed his lips together. The woman exchanged glares to both men and took a small breath. "Your people were taken by the Governor's Gestapo."

Both Shane and Rick widened their eyes. Carl gaped. "What?" The young soldier said in awe.

Shane glanced over to his friend then back to the woman. "Wh-what did ya say?" He said in disbelief, taking a step towards the samurai.

"You heard me," she replied directly.

Rick lost his temper and took several more steps towards the woman. "And you didn't do anything to stop them?" He shouted.

"There were too many of them and they all had heavy artillery, what was I supposed to do?"

The former deputy put a hand on his forehead and let out one large exhale. She had a valid reason, but Rick didn't want to accept it. He cursed himself for not listening to that one handed redneck. The cop never thought that this Governor would actually take his people.

Shane looked over to his friend. He knew when he or Rick informed the group about the sudden event, Merle would resemble a rabid dog. "Hey man, what should we tell the group?" Rick glanced back over and rested his hands on his thighs. Lying to them wouldn't help anything. Three people of their family have been kidnapped and are likely being tortured.

"The truth. There's no reason to lie to them."

Shane nodded, seemed reasonable in his eyes. "Alright, then we need to come up with a plan then."

* * *

Everything was spinning and distorted. The hunter flickered his eyes open and realized he had a bag on his head. "Fuck.." He struggled his arms but they were taped to the chair he was seated in. He wondered what the hell was going on. The only thing the hunter remembered before he blacked out was a long black haired asshole that ordered his men to take him, Glenn and Maggie. A strange feeling flipped over his stomach, he should of warned them a bit earlier, and otherwise, they probably wouldn't be in the mess. He shook his head trying to get that kind of thinking out of his head. It wasn't his fault that this happened.

All of a sudden, the door to the room sounded like it was kicked open. Daryl could faintly see through the bag that two men entered the room. He immediately realized the long black haired asshole, but the other man he couldn't recognize. The man was clearly taller than the asshole and he seemed a little older.

The man walked to the table before the hunter and took a seat with his hands folded together. He gave the black haired asshole a nod and the hunter's bag was pulled off his head. Daryl got a better look at this man and assumed that he was the leader of these thugs. He had a calm expression on his face but Daryl knew better that it was just a mask. He knew there was something insidious about this man. He could see the tyrannical look in his eyes. The hunter knew better not to talk, but allowed himself to listen to what the man had to say.

"Who are you?" The man asked calmly with a developing smug smirk.

Daryl knew better to not give up his name so he sat there silently with a look of pure loathing on his face. The man smirked a little more and leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms. Daryl turned his gaze towards the long black haired man.

"Not the loquacious type, are you? No matter," the leader commented. "Well, I can see that Merle found his way to you guys, but I can't quite understand why he chose to stay with y'all." Daryl turned his head back to the man. He had his head cocked a little to side and an ear to ear smile. "Unless.."

At this point, the hunter knew who this guy was. "You're the Governor," he said very lowly and directly. The Governor smiled a little more and spread out his arms.

"So, Merle told you who I was. I can see him doing that." The man took one long look back at the hunter. "Speaking of which, you got his posture." Daryl quickly looked away from the Governor. "Ah now I see why he chose to stay at that filthy prison. You're his brother. Daryl if I remember correctly, right?" The hunter chose not speak and kept his gaze down to his lap. The Governor laughed. "Well this certainly changes everything."

* * *

The two former cops debriefed the group as to what happened to three of their group members. All of them were shocked, except for Merle who just leaned on the bars with a very pissed expression written all over his face. The only thing they had to discuss now was who was actually going to go save them.

"I'm goin with y'all whether ya like it or not. I'm not going to sit here on my ass when my brother is out there!" Merle's temper pretty much shook up the entire cell block.

Rick decided to not argue with the redneck but he had to make something clear with him. "Fine, but if you do any funny business out there, I won't hesitate to blow your head off, you understand?"

Merle nodded. He knew there was no way to reason with the Governor. The man ordered him to do the dirty work in the past so Merle knew exactly what he was dealing with. "I know where they'll be holding them too. So Officer Friendly, you're gonna need me if you want to get your chinaman and the girl back."

Rick did a slight nod and looked back at the group. Shane spoke up. "Y'know you're gonna need me on this, man." Rick nodded.

Then the African samurai took a step forward. "I'm going. I know the place well." Rick had a skeptical look on his face but decided to not argue against her.

"That's enough," Rick concluded.

Stephanie uncrossed her arms and took a step forward. "Wait wait, you guys are going to need my help."

The former deputy shook his head. "No. From what I've seen already, you're a pretty good shot, and I'd feel a lot better if you stayed here, holding down the fort. You good with that?"

She had a slight frown on her face but she nodded her head in agreement. Someone had to stay behind and help defend the prison. The former deputy took a long look at the rest of the group. He saw the long on his son's face and he knew what the boy was thinking. For the past few months, he and Daryl had become close up to the point where the hunter was like his older brother. Needless to say, hearing this news about Daryl being kidnapped was harsh in his mind.

"Alright, c'mon. Let's gear up."

* * *

Shane packed up his favorite 590 Mossberg with several shells into the back of the Hyundai along with a M4 Carbine and his favorite Glock 17 handgun. Merle situated himself with a Kalashnikov AKM with a few mags and his Colt MK IV .45 handgun. Michonne just stuck with her trusty katana. Rick holstered his Python, packed up another M4A1 and decided to bring along a couple flashbangs. The cop closed the back door and got into the driver's seat then turned the ignition.

Before Shane got into the car, he took one last look at the group and his eyes fell onto the woman that saved his life a few weeks ago. She stood next to Carl and Beth with a worried look across her face. The cop suddenly had a strange twisting feeling in his gut, one that he never had before in his life. His mind began to race until he concluded what the feeling was. The feeling of never seeing these people again. Fear. Since the beginning of the outbreak, he was never afraid of dying. The sight before him made him develop that fear. He was afraid of dying.

"C'mon Shane," Rick said in the driver's seat. Shane shook his head and got into the back seat next to the elder redneck. He cursed to himself beneath his breath and looked out the window back over to Stephanie once again.

Suddenly he heard the man beside him start chuckling. The cop quickly turned his head away from the window then glared at Merle. The redneck only laughed and winked at the cop. Shane rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright, let's get going."

With that, the light green Hyundai drove out into the field and crossed the gate Axel and Carol opened up. As the car drove off, Shane took one last look at the gateway being closed behind them. _I'm coming back. I'm not going to die out here_.

* * *

Daryl spat out blood and gave out a agonized cough. The black haired man, they call Bruce, stood in front of the hunter, throwing punches at the hunter's face. Daryl has been enduring his throws for the past couple hours and it was getting to the point where he could very well pass out from the pain. The hunter couldn't take it any longer and he lowered his head down in surrender. He was slightly surprised when Bruce decided to cease.

"Damn junky, you're a tough nut to crack," he commented as he panted a little. "Y'know, I gotta admit, you're as tough as your brother, maybe tougher. But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

Daryl coughed out more blood out his mouth and managed to pick up his gaze towards the man. "W-what di' ya fucks do to Glenn n' Maggie?" He demanded from the black haired man.

Bruce smirked a little and crossed his arms. "Well, let's just say the Gov wanted to have a little 'talk' to your lady friend." Daryl sneered at the man and struggled a little in his chair. "As for Glenn, he's getting the same hospitality as you. Only seems fair, huh?"

Daryl squinted his bruised eyes and gritted his teeth. "Fuck ye."

"Too late," he laughed, "I already fucked you up pretty bad. Maybe next time, pal."

* * *

The four formed up in front of Woodbury's gate. Before they got there, they came across a hermit in his shed who was making a ton of noise drawing in multiple walkers, so Michonne had no choice but to stab him through the back then the rest of the group had to feed his body to the corpses so they could escape. Shane felt guilty that they had to do that, but they had no choice if they wanted to live.

Rick and Shane both surveyed the walls and they spotted three sentries patrolling on top of it. Shane looked back and noticed both Merle and Michonne were gone.

"Fuck!" He silently yelled. Rick turned his head around and his eyes turned dead. "Those bastards baled on us, man!"

"Psst!"

Both cops flipped their gazes behind them and they saw Michonne there waving them to follow her. Rick and Shane crept to her and the trio pushed on around the building.

They came behind a broken window that looked like it was boarded up and Michonne climbed through the window then motioned the two cops to hand over their firearms. Shane threw his Mossberg 590 to her and lassoed his M4 around his shoulder then climbed into the building. Rick threw the cop his M4A1 and climbed in after them.

"Next time," Rick murmured to the African samurai, "tell us what you're doing." The woman rolled her eyes and turned around. He paused and looked around the room which seemed to be a storage room of boarding supplies. "You know where Merle is?"

"Right 'ere, Officer Friendly. Be quiet, would ja?" The redneck stood in the room just next to them surveying out the window. Rick and Shane both ran up behind him.

"I thought you said there was a curfew," Shane scolded the redneck and the African samurai.

"The streets are packed during the day," Michonne replied. "Those are stragglers." The two cops nodded and looked back at Merle who stood there with an AKM in his left hand.

"Ya know where they hold 'em?" Shane whispered to the redneck.

The redneck turned his gaze away from the window. "I gotta couple places 'n mind, but I couldn't tell ya which one exactly."

Suddenly, a couple knocks came from the door and the four scrambled to the other room past the curtain. Shane pumped a shell into his shotgun and stood behind the curtain just out of sight. Several more knocks came from the door.

"I know you're in there, I saw you moving from outside." The door unlocked and an older man came into the room with a flashlight. "C'mon, you know that you're not allowed to be out after curfew." The man didn't seem to notice that they weren't part of their group.

Shane aimed the end of his barrel towards the opening of the curtain. Rick stood next to him crouched down with his Python drawn. He kept glancing at his friend to know when to ambush. Both Merle and Michonne stood on the other side of the curtain waiting for the cop's call.

The man obliviously walked across the curtain and immediately realized that it was a horrible idea. Before he could act, Rick tackled him to the ground and pointed the end of his revolver at the man's forehead.

"Stay down, be quiet!" Rick ordered the man. The man quickly nodded his head in complete horror and held up his hands. "Where's our people?"

"What?" The man shrieked.

"Where's. Our. People?" Rick repeated in his face.

"I don't know!"

"Yes you do!" Rick tightened his grip on the man's shirt and kept glaring at him. Shane walked up and pointed his Mossberg at the man's face. The man opened his eyes as wide as they could go at the sight of the end of the shotgun barrel.

"Well, ov course he wouldn't know jack shit," Merle commented as he walked in front of the man.

"Merle? They said you're dead!" The man cried.

"Of course they did. The Gov' only tells a couple of us what's really goin' on. An' ya, m'friend, ain't one of 'em."

Rick picked up a rag and stuffed it into the man's mouth. Shane then flipped his shotgun around and swung the stock at the side of the man's head. The guy dropped down to the ground unconscious.

"Always was a pansy-ass," Merle commented as he walked to the window. "A'right, I gotta place in mind that'd I'm sure they'd be hold up in. Ya better follow m' lead if ya want yer china boy and his gal back."

* * *

The group followed Merle around several bends, through rooms and they came to a stop next to a room. Rick glanced through the window and noticed Glenn and Maggie on their knees with several armed men surrounding them. One of the men started putting bags on their heads and then started move them out the room.

Instinctually, Rick pulled out two flashbangs and pulled the pins. "Get back," he whispered to the three. He chucked the grenades around the side and they exploded around the armed men. They all fell to the ground coughing and started vigorously rubbing their eyes. Rick and Michonne quickly ran around the bend, pulled the bags off Glenn and Maggie's heads and rushed away. Shane wrapped his Mossberg around his shoulder and took Glenn's arm, wrapping around his collar bone.

Then shots were fired from an automatic. Merle flipped off the safety to his AKM and returned fire while taking cover behind the wall.

"Where's m' brotha?" The redneck shouted at Glenn as he kept holding down the trigger.

"I-I dunno," Glenn barely replied.

"C'mon, we gotta go now!" Shane yelled out to the group. The group started to move away but Merle hesitated.

"Fuck dis!" Merle started sprinting around the bend.

"Merle, no!" Rick yelled out at the redneck, but it was too late. Merle was out of sight and repeated gunshots abrupt through the air. Rick feared the worst but they didn't have time to get the redneck. They had no choice but to run. They were heavily outgunned and the flashbang's effect was probably wearing off. "We have to go now!"

The group ran across multiple rooms and hallways then found themselves outside on the sidewalk next to the street. They quickly glanced around and moved up away from the shouts. Rick kicked open a door of another storage room and the rest piled in.

Shane gently placed Glenn on the ground and looked at his wounds. His eyes were completely bruised and blood was dripping from his nose. "Bastards.." The former cop found a rag and wiped off the blood from Glenn's face.

"Where's the woman?" Maggie questioned as she looking around the room. Rick restlessly looked around for her but she was gone.

"She was right behind us," he growled. "She's on her own." They had no choice but to let her go. Glenn and Maggie were their number one priority as of now. Shane pulled out his handgun and handed it to Maggie.

"Rick, I'm so sorry, I had to tell them how many of us there were. I couldn't hold out long enough," Glenn said as he tried to regain his strength.

"No no, you're fine. You had no choice. We'll have to deal with it."

"Are you going to go get Daryl?" Maggie asked Rick as she pulled the hammer back to her gun.

"Yeah, but first, we need to get you guys outta here."

"I'm goin' with ya," Shane told his friend.

Rick shook his head. "No, I need you to get Glenn back to the car. He's in no condition for this. Alright?"

Shane reluctantly nodded and handed over his M4 Carbine to Maggie. "Alright. I got Glenn. You guys need to cover us."

Rick pulled out a couple smoke grenades and chucked them out onto the street, smoking up the entire road. Shane wrapped Glenn's arm around his shoulder and got ready to run across the road. The four finally booked it across the street and they heard gunshots zipping through the air. They spotted three men on top of the busses acting as the town walls quickly turn around. Rick pointed his M4A1 at the guards and squeezed the trigger. The first guard was shot in the head and fell over the wall. Shane, with his one free hand, raised his Mossberg at another guard and fired a shell, creating a red mist around the man then he fell over the wall. Maggie hip-fired her M4 at the other guard, luckily hitting right in the chest.

Rick took cover behind a solar panel and shouted at the others to climb over the wall. He fired more rounds at the Woodbury group members until he ran out if ammo. He quickly drew his Python and glanced back over. What he saw made everything else around him slow down and the noise numbed. He noticed Shane walking towards him with a shotgun, but thing he didn't understand was that Shane had his buzz cut and clean shave like during the days of the farm. He also noticed that same flame in his eyes similar to that night where Shane had his best friend at the end of his sights. The former cop shook his head trying to free himself from this vision. The old Shane raised his shotgun at the others trying to escape the wall and fired a shell. Rick glanced back to the others and noticed that the real Shane, the one with longer hair and a beard, was shot in his left arm and he fell to the ground roaring in pain.

Rick sneered in anger, pulled the hammer back and swiftly fired at the other Shane in the face, dropping him. Rick walked up to the man with his revolver still pointed at the corpse and noticed that this man had a different look to his. It wasn't Shane.

"Rick!" Maggie shouted at him from the wall. Rick fired more rounds at the other Woodburians and made a run for it to the bus. He came up to his friend and crouched down at the injury on his arm. His left arm looked as if something ripped the skin off of it. Rick quickly pulled off his shirt and wrapped around his friend's arm and helped him over the bus. The four then scurried into the darkness of the night away from the town.

Rick placed Shane down next to a tree and took a look at his wound. Blood was seeping out of his arm. "Shit, we have to get him back."

Shane shook his head. "No man, I'll be just fine. I still got my legs. Just go get Daryl back!"

Rick pondered on what to do but his train of thought was interrupted by a shuffling noise in a bush. He drew his revolver out and aimed to where the noise was coming from. Suddenly, Michonne came into sight with her katana unsheathed. Rick pulled back the hammer and glared at the woman. "Where did you go this time?" He asked coldly.

Michonne lowered her eyebrows and sheathed her sword. "I had a little visit with the Governor."

"You kill him?" Shane asked.

She paused for a moment. "Didn't have the chance, but I took his eye out."

Rick noticed all the cut marks and blood on her face and arms and figured that she was telling the truth. "Alright. You get Shane and Glenn back to the car, now!"

"Where are you going?" She questioned coldly.

"To get Daryl. Let's go Maggie." He and Maggie began running off towards the town to save captive hunter.


	11. Return

**Here's chapter 11. This one takes place at the end of "Made to Suffer" up to the end of "The Suicide King" in the show. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and please R&R!**

* * *

Merle knew he was fucked, but he didn't care in the slightest. He was captured by Bruce, the man he hated the most in this piss old town, even more than the Governor.

"Y'know, I figured ya to be smarter than this, Merle. Barging in here wasn't the best idea you had."

"Fuck ye, Bruce. If ya didn't have me handcuffed like dis, I'd grab that ugly beard of yers an' rip off yer head from yer shoulders." Merle spat at the man's feet. Bruce sneered and sucker punched the redneck in the gut. Merle coughed a little from the blow.

"You need to learn to shut that fucking mouth of yours!" Bruce threw another punch at Merle's face. As he raised his other arm, the door behind him opened up. Bruce turned around to look at the man on the threshold. "What is it, Shumpert?"

Merle glanced up at the larger black man at the doorway. He never really cared for the bowman only because he allowed himself to be a tool for the Governor and Bruce. If Merle could describe his view of Shumpert, it would be pity. The same goes for Martinez.

"The Governor wants you to bring him to the arena now." With that, Shumpert left the room and Bruce slowly turned his head around to the redneck.

"Today may be your lucky day, asshole." Bruce grabbed a bag and jammed it on Merle's head. The man got the redneck to his feet and started leading him with the barrel to his gun digging into Merle's back.

As the two kept walking, Merle could hear a voice in the distance. It definitely was the Governor's. Finally, the words became clear.

"That," the Governor started, "is one of the terrorists. But what you all should know is that this one," he paused again, "is one of our own. Merle!" Bruce pulled the bag off Merle's head and pushed him in the center of the arena. Merle took a long look around the arena as the townsfolk all screamed in bloody murder.

"He's the one that led the terrorists here!" The Governor cheered on. Merle glared at his former leader with a stare that could kill. He noticed that the Governor had an eyepatch around his left eye, which made the redneck smirk slightly. 'The black bitch poked his eye out!'

As the crowd cheered on, the Governor rose his arm to get the crowd's full attention. "But that's not all I have to say," he paused and shifted towards Merle, smugly eying him. "We have another one of the terrorists!" As he said that, Martinez came into the arena with another man with a bag on his head and a recognizable pair of angel wings on his back. "Merle's own brother!" Martinez pulled off the bag and shoved Daryl towards Merle.

Merle couldn't figure out what to say or do. He just stood there looking at his little brother. Daryl's expression showed that he was in utter fear at the moment. The hunter glanced around the arena at the raging crowd then over to his older brother. The Dixon brothers were now trapped and for once, neither of them knew what to do.

"So what should we do to them?" The Governor asked the crowd.

The crowd all cheered, "Kill them!" They were pointing fingers and throwing curses at the two brothers.

The Governor finally walked up to Merle. "You said you loyalty lies here. I want you to prove that." Merle said nothing in return.

The Governor rose his arms in the air. "Alright alright. Here's what we're gonna do!" The crowd directed their attention to the one eyed man. "A fight to the death! Brother against brother! The winner gets to be set free!" The Governor pointed a finger at the elder redneck. "You said you're loyalty lies here, prove to all of us that you are a man of your word!"

At that point, some of the members of the crowd started cheering for Merle.

"Come on Merle!"

"Redeem yourself!"

Merle decided now was the time to speak and threw his arms up in the air. "Y'all know me! I'm gonna do what I gotta do to prove," he paused and threw a punch into his brother's gut sending him to ground, "that my loyalty lies," he kicked Daryl again in the side, "here!" He knelt down next to Daryl and lightly wrapped his hand around Daryl's neck. Daryl reached up and did the same. Merle noticed that Bruce and few others brought over walkers on leashes and surrounded the two Dixons.

"Ya really think that asshole's gonna to let ya go?" Daryl spat at his brother.

Merle stared into his brother's eyes. "Jus' follow m' lead lil brotha! We're gettin' outta dis!" With that, Merle pulled his brother to his feet and they went into a back-to-back formation. The men pushed the walkers at the Dixons. Merle used his metal limb to punch a walker back, staggering it. Daryl punch a walker across their face and pushed it into the raging crowd hoping it would cause confusion. Daryl had three walkers on him and he couldn't hold off all three of them.

Suddenly, blood splatted out of one of the walkers and fell dead. Everyone dropped to the ground in shock and despair. Repeated gunshots pierced through the air and a few guards dropped dead. Then a few smoke grenades dropped around the arena, creating a deep fog.

Merle ran to his brother. "C'mon, we gotta go, lil' bro!" Daryl sprinted past him. As they ran to where the gunshots were coming from, they came across Shumpert shooting an arrow at a walker out of Daryl's crossbow. Daryl ran up behind him and snatched the crossbow out of the man's hands. Merle then whacked him across the head with his metal hand, knocking him out.

The two Dixons found Rick and Maggie shooting suppressive fire. As soon as they met up, the four ran off to the street among the chaos. They came across another wall and Merle pounded his metal limb at the plaster wall giving them an opening. Rick and Maggie covered the two Dixons as they opened up the wall wide enough for all of them.

When the opening was large enough, Merle sprinted out and started pounding at one of the walkers in the head. "Lil' help would be nice!"

Daryl came out of the hole and shot an arrow at a walker, dropping it. Rick and Maggie then came out and the four sprinted away from the town into the woods.

* * *

Shane looked at his arm. The skin around the wound was ripped apart and blood kept dripping out. At this point, he started feeling lightheaded from the blood loss. He tightened the wound with the shirt Rick gave him as hard as he could, only making him groan in pain. "Fuck.." The stinging sensations all across his arm was beyond unbearable. He bit down on his lip and jolted his head back against the car. His vision began to fade a little bit from the sheer pain. "No, I ain't gonna die!" He desperately shouted.

Glenn, who was still in horrible condition, moved next to the former cop. "Shit, you're getting pale. C'mon, lay down here. You-" Glenn's words started to fade and Shane hearing began to ring until he could hear nothing. Suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

_Some being came into view, but it was too bright to see in detail. The figure shined a blinding light onto Shane and he covered his eyes from the light. He couldn't make out where he was or who this person is, but what he could see is that his arm was fully recovered with no scar and he had casual clothes on. This was a dream. It had to be. Everything around him was white._

_"Who are you?" Shane asked the figure in front of him. The figure slowly floated into view. It was a thin woman with brunette hair and a white dress. With the sight in front of him, his mouth dropped. It was Lori._

_"Lori.." He whispered._

_"Shane," she replied. Shane couldn't understand what was going on._

_"I thought.. What did-"_

_"It doesn't matter. I need to tell you this, Shane." Her tone was very serious and straightforward. Shane took a deep breath and nodded. "The baby isn't yours. It's Rick's. What you and I had when it all started wasn't real."_

_Shane looked away and paused a little, staring into space. Finally, he shook his head. "No. You're wrong. What we had was-"_

_"Shane stop!" She shouted holding her hands up to him. "It wasn't real. I'm not here to lie to you!" Shane looked back at her with a hurtful expression across his face. Old feelings were starting to come up in his stomach again._

_"Then why are you here?" He asked coldly placing his hands on his thighs._

_"To help you. To make everything better. I messed up, I put you and Rick at odds. I knew it wasn't a good idea to be with you at Atlanta, but I didn't know any better at the time." She came closer to Shane and placed a hand on his cheek. Her touch was warm and soft. "Look.." She started, "I've been watching over you and noticed that you may have found someone else. Whatever happened in the past in irrelevant now. Let go those false feelings and move on with your life or else.." Suddenly her touch became cold and it felt as if needles were piercing into his face._

_Everything around him suddenly became dimmed. Lori's eyes became milky white and her skin became pale. Shane tried to move but his body seemed to be in full paralysis._

_"You'll feel like this!" Lori suddenly bit down on his arm and started munching down on his flesh. Blood spurted everywhere._

_"No!" Shane yelled out squinting his eyes in pain. "No!" The thing that was once Lori relentlessly tore through his arm._

* * *

"No!" Shane shot his eyes open and he twirled his head around trying to get familiar with his surrounds. Finally, he realized that he was in the back of the car with Maggie and Glenn. Rick and Michonne were up front. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Are you alright?" Maggie asked with a concerned look across his face. Shane didn't reply and just stared into space. He shifted his gaze towards the front of the car. Rick eyed his friend through the rear mirror.

"Shane. Everything alright?"

Shane took a moment to process his words, still in shock after that dream. He quickly realized how funky he must of looked when he just randomly screamed out in bloody murder. He saw that Glenn was asleep, Michonne could care less, Maggie was still taking in the after effects of being captive and Rick had no expression on his face. Truth be told, nobody was in any condition or mood to laugh, which to an extent sort of calmed Shane.

"Shane?" Rick asked him again.

Shane snapped out of his deep thought and looked up to the front at Rick. "Jus' fine," he replied. He sensed that something wasn't right. He shifted his body around and scanned the trunk. Only guns. Then he looked behind the car to see if there was another following. None. The Dixons were nowhere to be found.

"Hey Rick," he started as he turned back around, still wincing from his arm wound. Rick looked into the rear mirror to his friend. "Where's Daryl and Merle?"

The car was silent. Rick looked away and hid his face from his friend. Maggie looked down at her feet and Michonne's glare intensified. "They left," Rick finally answered. Shane was confused. Left? What does he mean by 'left'?

"What're ya sayin, man?"

Rick took a deep breath. "We were sending Merle off, but Daryl decided to go with him. Going off saying 'No him, no me'."

"Shit." Shane couldn't find the words to describe his opinion on this event. The wound on his arm kept him from searching for words to say. He slowly moved Rick's bloody button-down shirt away from his arm and he surveyed the wound. The skin around the open tears were starting to turn red. Shane knew what that meant. An infection.

"Finally," Rick suddenly said. Shane looked up and noticed they were coming to the front gate of the prison. He spotted Carol and Carl opening up the gate. As soon as the car entered the gate, Rick got out and told Maggie to take the wheel. Shane knew what he was doing. He was going to inform Carol of Daryl's decision. Those two became very close since the incident with Sophia.

Maggie climbed to the driver's seat and drove the car up to cell block C. Shane spotted his black Camaro and smiled a little. As soon as they stopped the car, Hershel, Axel and Stephanie came out of the cell block. Maggie quickly got out of the car, ran up to her dad and hugged like she never hugged him before. Axel ran up to car and opened up the door to where Glenn was sitting. He wrapped an arm around the young Asian and started helping him into the cell block. Michonne quickly came out and helped Axel carry him in.

Shane took a deep breath and finally opened the door. As he got up, his vision started to sparkle a little bit. A head-rush overcame him and stumbled onto the side of the car. The pain around his left arm, certainly did not help. Stephanie quickly rushed around the car to Shane.

"Shane, are you alright?" She asked him with a concerned tone.

The cop shook his head. "No. I fucked up my arm," he replied without thinking twice. Stephanie looked down at his arm and moved the shirt away from the wound, revealing the shredded skin and dried blood. Her eyes widened at the sight of the wound and she looked back up at Shane, who was starting to look a little pale.

"Come on, I can patch this up for you." She grabbed a hold of his right arm and started leading him into the cell block. Shane noticed Rick, Carl and Carol coming up to Hershel. Rick gave the old man a hug and started talking to him. Carl noticed that Shane was hurt and he sprinted up to him as he and Stephanie made their way into the cell block.

"Shane, are you alright? What happened?" He asked restlessly.

Shane tried his hardest to pull a smile for the boy. "Injured my left arm. Don't worry 'bout me, man. I'll be jus' fine."

Carl glanced back to his father then decided to follow Shane into the cell block.

When Shane entered into the cell block, he noticed four new faces. A large muscular black man with a beard, a thin black woman, a boy looking to be in his mid to late teens and a slim man with a beard, most likely the boy's father. He tapped Stephanie on the shoulder.

"I'll stay here," he told her. She nodded and helped him sit down at one of the tables. He thanked her and she went off into the other for some medical supplies. Carl stood next to Shane with his arms crossed.

Shane looked at the four new people and cleared his throat. "How did you guys get in?" He asked, still wincing from the pain.

The large black man took a step forward. "There's a hole in the rear side of the prison. We managed to get inside the prison that way. Then we came across another cell block. Looked like the doors were kicked open."

Shane nodded. "Yeah, we were attacked through there not too long ago." He looked around the room at the survivors and cursed himself mentally for not asking them for their names first. "I'm Shane," he greeted as he held out his right hand.

The black man walked forward without hesitation and shook his hand firmly. "Tyreese. Good to finally meet you." Shane raised a brow at the comment. Tyreese pointed at the slim black woman. "That's Sasha, my sister, Allen and Ben," he said pointing at the the father and son. Tyreese looked back over to the former cop. "I'm sorry for asking you this right when you get back," he paused as Stephanie came in with medical equipment. She gave the man a welcoming smile and started tending to Shane's wound.

"You were saying?" Shane said.

"Yeah, we need a place to stay. We.." He paused and looked over to Allen. "We, uh, lost someone not too long ago."

Shane nodded and looked down. Stephanie cleaned the dry blood off of his arm, then took out a needle with stitches. Shane looked away from his arm then made a wincing noise as the girl put stitches through his arm.

"Anyways," Tyreese began, "you fellas wouldn't have to worry about us. We'll get our own food and water, help out when you need it, if you guys are having problems with another group, we'll help. We'll help out any way we can."

Shane nodded and winced as Stephanie kept giving him stitches. "Hey man, I'm sorry to say this now, but I ain't the leader here. Rick's the one to talk to. He should be in here in a few." Just as he finished talking, Rick came walking in with Hershel and Carol. Rick only glanced at the four survivors and walked into the cell block. Hershel gave a concerned look to the leader and moved up next to Shane, studying his wound. Stephanie patched up Shane's arm into a splint.

"Not exactly the chatter box, is he?" Allen commented with an annoyed expression on his face.

"We're all going through some shit right now," Shane replied to the man flatly. Allen sheepishly looked to Sasha and Tyreese.

"Be patient. He'll come talk when he's ready," Tyreese said to Allen.

"So who's baby is that?" Sasha asked, most likely trying to start small talk. Shane paused for a second and formed a small frown.

"That's Rick's," he replied flatly.

"Her name is Judith," Hershel said.

"Pretty name," Sasha replied. "Like I said, it's nice to see something so innocent again."

After several minutes, Rick came walking back into the room with a dead look on his face. At first he walked up to Shane and put a hand on his shoulder. "How you doing Shane?"

"Fine. Steph has me covered." Stephanie smiled at Rick and started wrapping gauze bandages around his arm. Rick thanked gratefully her and turned his gaze to Tyreese.

Tyreese held out a hand. "I'm Tyreese." Rick refused to shake his hand. Tyreese sheepishly lowered his hand and glanced to his sister briefly.

"Sasha, Allen, Ben," Hershel stated pointing a crotch at the others. Rick nodded and glanced at the four.

"How did you get in?" Rick asked.

"Fire damage to the administrational part of the prison. The wall's down." Tyreese replied, no doubt being careful on his words.

"That side is completely overrun by walkers. How did you get this far?"

"We didn't," he replied with a sorrowful expression. "We lost our friend Donna."

Carl spoke up. "They were lost in the tombs."

Rick tensed up and whirled his head around at his son. "And you brought them here?" He hissed.

Carl didn't reply, just lowered his head. Hershel brought a hand up to calm him down. "He had no choice."

Rick looked over to Hershel and nodded. There was a silent pause in the room. Finally Rick looked over to the new group and figured he needed to say something.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he said bringing a hand out. The expression on his face was still cold. "We know what that's like."

Tyreese nodded and spoke up. "I heard you could use some extra hands. We're no strangers to hard work, we'll go out and get our own food, stay outta your hair. You gotta problem with another group, we'll help with that too. Anything to contribute."

Rick took a long pause and lowered his head. "No."

"Please," Sasha interjected. "It's insane out there. It's just us now."

Rick stared at the woman for a little bit. "No."

Hershel spoke up. "Let's talk about this. We can't just keep-"

"We've been through this," Rick interrupted. He glared at the older man. "With Tomas, and Andrew. Look what happened."

"Axel and Oscar weren't like that," Carol spoke up from the back.

"Yeah well where's Oscar now?" He snapped at her. Axel looked down at shoes, still hurt from his friend's death. Rick looked around the room then settled his eyes back to Tyreese. "I can't be responsible."

"You turn us out, you are responsible," Tyreese replied in a calm voice.

Shane couldn't let this happen. "Rick," he called to his friend. Shane slowly got up to his feet, wincing at the pain in his arm and walked next to Hershel. Rick finally walked over to the two.

Hershel began talking. "You've done so much for us. We owe you our lives. But Rick, I have to tell you," Hershel seemed desperate in his tone. "You're wrong on this."

Shane nodded. "Yeah, man. You gotta see that there's strength in numbers. We gotta let them stay, Rick."

"Rick, you have to start giving people a chance," Hershel finalized.

Rick stood there pondering what to do. Too many things were at risk, in his head. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it back out slowly. Shane could see the doubt in his eyes.

"Look at me, man," Shane started and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "This is the right call. Trust me, brother. I'll keep tabs on them if that makes you feel better."

Several minutes passed and Rick stood there with his head down. He couldn't get himself to believe that this was a good idea. The last thing he wanted was for another person to die in his group. Ten people was hard enough on his conscious. He also didn't know if he trusted this Allen.

"C'mon man," Shane said which snapped Rick out of his deep thought. After a couple more minutes, Rick looked at his friend in the eyes, then nodded. Immediately, he turned around and left the room into the cell block.

At first, Tyreese was confused. Shane adjusted his splint and turned around toward the four.

"I don't want to upset him," Tyreese assured Shane. Shane smiled lightly and patted the large man on the shoulder.

"He has his reasons for being like this. We lost so many people like you guys, and they all weigh heavy on Rick's mind. He'll come around soon."

Tyreese nodded and looked over to the three people of his group. They all seemed very relieved that Shane convinced Rick. Lord knows what would of happened if Shane wasn't around.

"Thanks Shane," Tyreese said. Shane nodded.

"No need. Now, you guys are going to be staying in here for a while. M' sorry I had gotta say that, but we don't exactly know who you fellas are yet."

Tyreese slightly raised a hand. "Nah nah I understand completely. We did the same with newcomers in our group."

"Good."

"Shane," Stephanie started. Shane looked over to the woman. "You need to get some rest. Besides, that wound is most likely going to get infected, if not, already."

Shane nodded and shook Tyreese's hand one last time before walking into the cell block. Stephanie lead him into his cell and made sure the splint was intact.

"Hey Steph." Stephanie raised her head a little and looked at Shane. "Thanks a million for patching me up."

She smiled and gave him a hug. "It's nothing. Just trying to help you out."

Carol walked into the cell with a bag containing many pharmaceuticals. "Here's some pain killers and antibiotics, I thought you'd need it."

Shane smiled. "Thanks Carol." Carol smiled back.

She handed the bag to Stephanie then left the room. Stephanie studied some of the meds, pulled a capsule out and handed it to him. "Now take this, then get some sleep." Shane took the pill and laid back onto his cot. Stephanie leaned down on the cot and hugged the man again. Then, to Shane's surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. "It's good to see you're alright."

"It's good to see your face again too." She smirked and got up to her feet.

"Sleep!" She ordered him.

Shane smiled and nodded. "Alright alright I will. I'll see you when I wake up then."

She smiled a little more and left the room, giving the cop one last look. Shane looked up to the top bunk and slowly closed his eyes letting sleep overtake him.

* * *

**Oooh I turned turned things around a little! Shoulda seen it coming, this story has turn arounds all over the place. Chapter 12, you guys might have to wait, college is starting to come in play so I'm going to be busy a lot. Anyways please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter!**


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